Operation Danube

Operation Danube was a military campaign conducted in November 1968 when five Warsaw Pact countries—Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Bulgaria, and Hungary—invaded Czechoslovakia to stop political reforms aimed at liberalization known as the Prague Spring. The operation aimed to restore the communist government’s control and prevent reforms that could inspire similar movements elsewhere. It involved coordinated troop movements into Czechoslovakia, effectively ending the period of increased freedom and reforms. The intervention demonstrated the Soviet Union's desire to maintain control over its sphere of influence and suppress efforts toward political liberalization within its satellite states.