In the night of 20 to 21 August 1968, troops of the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria entered Czechoslovakia, which began an occupation whose consequences lasted until 1991.
The invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops took place in the night of 20 to 21 August 1968 on the territory of what was then the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (Czechoslovakia). Armed forces of the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria took part[1]. The German Democratic Republic supported the invasion but did not take part militarily[1]. Romania and Albania, other member states of the Warsaw Pact, did not participate in the operation[1].
Objectives and the first hours of the occupation
The first objective of the occupying forces was to seize strategic points throughout the country and to prevent resistance from the Czechoslovak People's Army[1]. From the very beginning the invasion met with spontaneous resistance from the population and with demonstrations in which all layers of society took part[1].
Civilian casualties
The occupation cost civilian lives. By the end of 1968, 137 people had died, roughly 500 had suffered serious injuries, and a further, unspecified number of inhabitants had been lightly injured[1].
Withdrawal of the occupying troops
By 4 November 1968, the units of most of the participating armies, namely the Polish, Hungarian and Bulgarian ones, had left Czechoslovakia[1]. Unlike them, the Soviet army stayed in the country until 1991[1].
Documentation of the event
The Vojenský historický ústav Praha holds in its collections a period photograph showing a column of occupation tanks standing in the street of one of the Czechoslovak towns in August 1968[1]. The photograph entered the institute's collection after 1989[1].