Thousands of Slovaks protest against populist PM Robert Fico and his pro-Russian policies

Large crowds again took to the streets across Slovakia on Friday to demonstrate against populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and his pro-Russian policies.

Regular protests erupted after Fico visited Moscow to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in late December, a rare visit to the Kremlin by a European Union leader since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Protesters accuse him of aligning Slovakia with Russia and distancing from Europe and have been calling for his resignation. Fico has also sporadically made threats to withdraw Slovakia from the European Union, a move that angered many in the country.

Protesters chanted “shame” at the Freedom Square in the capital Bratislava. Rallies also took place in some 40 other towns and cities both within the country and abroad, according to organisers. Protesters called Fico a “traitor”, adding that Slovakia is and will be European.

The Slovak premier, who survived an assassination attempt in May 2024, has faced calls to resign over his comments about future EU and NATO membership, and his remarks supporting Russia’s motives for invading Ukraine.  

Demonstrators also condemned recent pro-Russian activities of Fico’s close aides. His chief advisor, Erik Kaliňák, has recently come under fire for saying that Slovakia “would finally have a reliable neighbour” if Russia conquered Ukraine.

 Ľuboš Blaha, a prominent member of Fico’s leftist Smer party known for extreme leftist rhetoric, met with Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR spy agency, this week on a trip to Moscow. He also stated that it’s a fact that the “West is losing” to Russia.

Fico’s views of Russia have sharply differed from the European mainstream. He, along with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, often find themselves in disagreement with other western powers, particularly in what concerns the war in Ukraine.

Orban is also one of the few EU leaders to have visited Russia to meet with Putin since Russia’s invasion.

Fico was prime Minister from 2012 to 2018. He resigned in 2018 less than three weeks after the murder of an investigative reporter – who was looking at possible government corruption – sparked public outcry and triggered nationwide protests.

He returned to power in 2023 after his Smer party won a parliamentary election. Since his return, he’s ended Bratislava military and financial support for Kyiv, criticised EU sanctions on Russia and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO.

He’s also declared Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a national enemy, after the Ukrainian leader ended the transit of Russian gas through his country following the expiration of a five year deal.