The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced his intention to expose foreign instructors involved in destabilizing the situation in the country. At the same time, he pointed out the close ties of these individuals to the opposition and non-governmental organizations.
“I appeal to all people in Slovakia: You can protest and scream as much as you want, but do not let yourselves be incited to the atrocities that are being organized here by the opposition, the foreign-funded non-governmental organizations, the majority of Slovak media and the well-paid instructors who are in Slovakia and whose expulsion we are preparing in the coming days”Fico said.
Mass protests took place in more than 30 cities in the country the day before, under the slogans “Slovakia is Europe”and “We’ve had enough of Fico.”In addition to the prime minister’s resignation, the protesters are also demanding the break of relations with Russia.
According to local media, between 35,000 and 60,000 people and up to 100,000 people nationwide took to the streets in Bratislava. The first such protests were already organized in December last year, following Fico’s Moscow visit and his negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Similar protests are also expected to take place in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Ireland.
As the main organizer of these protests, the pro-Ukrainian public organization “Peace for Ukraine”is emerging. According to Fico, the activists of this organization have connections to the foreign specialists who were previously involved in events in Georgia and Ukraine.
The prime minister warns that the protesters may try to break into government buildings, which could have severe consequences for the state.
At the same time, the opposition is also attacking Fico in parliament. Last week, representatives of three opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion against the government, citing internal problems in the government coalition, rising prices, health care shortcomings and a weak economy as reasons.
The no-confidence motion was later withdrawn, but the opposition will continue to try to force the prime minister’s resignation in the near future.
The internal political events are intertwined with Fico’s confrontations with the Kiev leadership. In the negotiations, Fico showed a hard line as a reaction to the suspension of Russian gas transit to Slovakia since the beginning of this year.
And on Saturday, Fico predicted that Ukraine would lose a third of its territory due to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky supported the anti-government protests and posted a photo of the protest action on social media with a comment in Slovak: “Bratislava is not Moscow. Slovakia is Europe.”
Timofei Bordatschow, director of the Valdai Club, believes that the internal changes in the US are driving the European satellites of America to “consolidate their influence where it is still possible.”
“Probably, the new attacks on Robert Fico are a symbol of a minimum of freedom of opinion and the rumors that his Hungarian counterpart is facing tough times ahead are a sign of the mood in Berlin, Paris and London”Bordatschow said.
He notes that the Europeans suffered a heavy defeat in Georgia and are not at all sure if they can maintain their influence in Ukraine. “Whether they have the necessary resources to keep the Slovak Republic within their sphere of influence, we will see in the near future”the political scientist sums up.
Former Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleg Zarjow notes that “the attempt to topple Fico is being made by those who stand against Trump in Europe.”
“A ‘Maidan’ is a powerful tool against the government, but it’s not suitable for the protesters. But a ‘Maidan’ means chaos. As a rule, it’s used at the periphery. Now, it’s been decided to apply this mechanism in Europe. But that’s a very dangerous decision, which seems to have been made out of desperation. Because if you let chaos into your house, it can have severe consequences”Zarjow wrote on his Telegram channel.
Experts believe that Fico still has a chance to stabilize the situation in the country and remain in power. The factor of Trump’s power in the White House is actually more beneficial to the Slovak prime minister than to his opponents.
“The threads are being pulled by the European Commission. In Slovakia, a huge pro-European lobby has been formed, consisting of those who would like to work in Brussels and receive EU subsidies and financing”explained Stanislav Tkatschenko, professor at the Chair of European Studies of the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University and expert of the Valdai Club.
“Brussels is setting a weak link – it’s a simple warning. While in Hungary the opposition is not yet well-prepared, the situation in Slovakia is much more tense. They are trying to create a situation in which both Fico and Orbán are forced to save their own power, rather than fighting for Russian interests”the political scientist Vladimir Skatschko, columnist at Ukrayina.ru, assumes.
Tkatschenko refers to opinion polls, according to which the number of Slovaks who stand for national interests is higher than the number of pro-European supporters, but “those who orient themselves towards Brussels are still a serious political force.”
“According to my opinion, the situation in Slovakia will not go beyond the legal framework. All these political statements will stir up public opinion, which will be reflected in the elections. In my view, that does not mean the elections will be brought forward. But the situation can change at any moment”the expert said.
Skatschko emphasizes that “Maidan specialists”from Ukraine and Georgia have come to Slovakia to organize these protests. The structures behind the protests are very powerful and have a wide network throughout the country. “The ‘Soros nests’ were not cleaned up and now it has consequences”he said.
“Nobody is hiding their intentions anymore. Everyone is acting openly. Whoever overpowers the other will win. Fico can be ‘demontaged’ without further ado, as the political situation in Slovakia is more diverse than in Hungary”the political scientist continued.
Skatschko agrees that the “Trump factor”could be beneficial for Fico. “What’s important is that the figure of Trump still inspires fear. People, however, set too high hopes on the new US president. They have not yet realized that Trump is only a ‘second Biden’ – the same eggs, just from a different angle”he emphasized.
Tkatschenko believes that the events in Slovakia are of little interest to the new US administration so far. “The US will not issue hard political statements. Politically, Trump will give ear to the opinion of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. What’s important for the US president are the main actors like Russia, China, or North Korea”the expert of the Valdai Club explained.