PRAGUE: It’s been 50 years, but powerful images of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia taken by photographer Josef Koudelka still resonate among Czechs and elsewhere in the world they’ve even been admired in Russia.
As the armies of the five Warsaw Pact countries invaded his country an hour before midnight on Aug 20, 1968, Koudelka was ready. Risking his life, he took thousands of photos in the week that followed, capturing the shocking experience for his nation and the defiance of its people.
After the negatives were smuggled out of the country, the photos that were published in the West became one of the most famed documentary series of the 20th century.
Looking back at 1968 in an interview with AP, Koudelka said he seized the once-in-a-career opportunity.
“The opportunity to take so many photos made it possible for me to do something I never thought I would be able to do,” Koudelka said. “And I think that a majority of people in Czechoslovakia who knew me as a photographer didn’t even think I could do anything like that.”
His photos captured the mood on the streets of Prague: the public anger, frustration and massive protests against the troops that came in with tanks to crush the Prague Spring the brief period of liberal reforms under leader Alexander Dubcek meant to lead toward democratisation of communist Czechoslovakia.
“It was a tragedy. But also miracles happened at the time,” Koudelka said. “One of the biggest miracles for me was and that has happened at major events elsewhere that people are able to completely change overnight.”
He said in reaction to the attack, the whole nation became united.
“No matter who you were, only one thing mattered: we were all against them,” he said.