Under the slogan “Slovakia is Europe! – We’ve had enough of Russia!” Slovakian supporters of Ukraine demonstrated in Bratislava on Friday against Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The protest rally in front of the government office was called by the citizens’ initiative “Mier Ukrajine” (Peace for Ukraine), which advocates for arms deliveries to Kiev. Spokespersons for the initiative estimated the number of rally participants at around 4,000, according to Slovakian media.
Demonstrators carried banners, distributed by the citizens’ initiative, reading: “Treason!” and the on the back “We are Europe!” Some brought homemade banners with slogans against Fico such as “Fico, move to Moscow!”
Allegation: Pro-Russian Course
The organizers accused the left-national prime minister and his social democratic and right-populist coalition partners of steering Slovakia towards a pro-Russian course.
Fico had recently clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky because Ukraine halted the gas transit from Russia to Slovakia and other European countries. Slovakia, a member of the European Union, is more dependent on Russian gas than few other European countries.
Fico was prime minister for some 10 years in two separate terms before returning to power once again in the fall of 2023 after winning the parliamentary elections.
He then stopped arms deliveries from Slovakia’s own military stocks to Ukraine. though commercial arms sales were allowed to continue. Additionally, Slovakia supplies Ukraine with “non-lethal” goods such as mine-clearing equipment, generators, and electricity. Fico, however, threatened to discontinue the latter as a “countermeasure” against the halt of the gas transit.
