Statue of Soviet WWII commander removed in Prague

The statue of a Soviet World War II commander was removed from a district in Prague on Friday.

The decision to remove the statue has drawn angry protests from Russia and pro-Russian Czech President Milos Zeman.

Marshall Ivan Stepanovic Konev led the Red Army forces that liberated Prague and large parts of Czechoslovakia from the Nazi occupation in 1945.

His monument, unveiled in the Prague 6 district in 1980 when the country was occupied by Soviet troops, has been a source of controversy.

Russia vehemently protested when an explanatory text about Konev's role in history crushing the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising in Hungary and preparing the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia was attached to his monument two years ago.

After the site was targeted by vandals, last year, Prague 6 representatives agreed to remove the statue and move it inside where it could not be vandalized.

Russia's Foreign Ministry and Russian embassy in Prague condemned the removal of the statute from its place.

Prague 6 officials said the Konev site will get a new monument to honor the liberators at the end of WWII and his statue will be transferred to a museum.