From the Bolshevik Revolution to the Invasion of Ukraine, the Czech Republic has been a haven for refugees for over 100 years. For example, the Bolshevik Revolution was a terrible period in Eastern European history, one that caused two to three million people to leave Russia, with 15 thousand of those who left becoming Czechoslovakian refugees.
An Army with No Country: A Siberian Odyssey
It’s the First World War, and the Czechoslovaks got to get their soldiers from Ukraine to France, but without going through a Central Powers country or a sea without enemy ships. What do they do? Naturally, they go East: fight through the Bolsheviks, take over the Russian railway network, capture most of Siberia, and reach Vladivostok before the ships arrive to get you home. All this while losing less than 10% of your men over three years of fighting. It might sound crazy, but this is just the 2nd part to the story of the Czechoslovak Legion.