Slovak PM Robert Fico accused of doing Russia’s bidding

The EU and Nato should rein in Prime Minister Robert Fico in his politically motivated pursuit of former government officials for their decision to send military aid to Ukraine, Slovakia’s former defence minister has said.

Jaroslav Naď told the Financial Times that a criminal probe launched against him last week showed that Fico was “trying to raise the Russian flag in the EU”. The probe was unique in Europe for the lengths to which the Slovak premier was going to punish his political opponents for supporting Kyiv, Naď said.

The investigation targets former prime minister Eduard Heger, Naď and other members of their administration who last year decided to donate 13 fighter jets to Ukraine. They are accused of treason and sabotaging national sovereignty. The Slovak defence ministry said Naď should also be charged with abuse of power.

“The international community should definitely show Fico that his political fight should have some limitations . . . I think the EU and Nato should react to that,” Naď said. Otherwise, “I would be probably the only one put on trial by a state power for helping Ukraine against Russian aggression”. 

Last year Fico, then in opposition, claimed the government violated Slovak sovereignty when sending military aid to Kyiv by decree, rather than seeking parliamentary approval.

Naď — who now chairs the Democrats, one of Slovakia’s pro-EU opposition parties — said Slovakia’s military aid was sent in accordance with both national and international law and complaints about it had already been dismissed last year by police and prosecutors.

“There is no new evidence whatsoever . . . the difference is that the police and prosecutors are now in the hands of Robert Fico,” Naď said. A successful prosecution, he added, “including possibly putting us in prison for a while would show to their electorate that they [Fico and his coalition] deliver” on their election pledges.

Fico, who survived an assassination attempt last month and is still recovering from his bullet wounds, has shown no signs of reconciliation with the liberal opposition. Politicians from both sides of the aisle initially condemned the polarisation and toxicity of Slovak public discourse that led to Fico’s shooting.

In a recent video address Fico questioned whether the 71-year-old assailant was a “lone wolf”, as his own interior minister initially described him, and stressed that the attacker was “an activist of the Slovak opposition”.

Since coming to power in October, the Slovak premier has emulated his political ally in neighbouring Hungary, Viktor Orbán, both in opposing sanctions against Russia and in pursuing an illiberal agenda that includes the weakening of the rule of law, limiting freedom of speech and cracking down on foreign funding received by media and rights groups — despite warnings from Brussels that these steps violate the bloc’s treaties.

Last week, the Slovak government fast-tracked a media bill to dismantle and then relaunch the national broadcaster under a new name and different management. Soňa Weissová, a journalist working for RTVS’s radio service, said the government’s reform was “a demonstration of their power” that amounted to “a black day not just for public broadcasting but for our democracy as well”. 

Following Fico’s shooting, the government put forward fresh legislation designed to strengthen security, including restrictions on gatherings and protests outside official buildings.

“Rather than addressing any genuine safety concerns, this bill aims to expand the power of the authorities to restrict or even ban peaceful assemblies and would create a significant chilling effect on human rights,” said Rado Sloboda, director of Amnesty International Slovakia.