ISLAMABAD: Monitoring Desk – On May 15, there was the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. He suffered several injuries in the stomach and chest. The 71-year-old Slovak writer Juraj Cintula, who committed the crime, was detained on the spot.
The reaction of Russian propagandists was predictable. They put responsibility on Ukraine. But who can actually benefit from this tragedy, and why did it happen?
Russia has long begun and continues massive subversive activities in EU countries. Europe has been suffering from Putin’s terror for several years now. The situation has worsened on the eve of the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.
After all, Putin really does not want the Summit to take place, the event where he is not welcomed, where more than 100 countries are planning to gather and discuss the Peace Formula for Ukraine. That is, to give a clear roadmap on how to tackle with the Russian aggressor.
It became known that a suspect in the shooting of Robert Fico, was accused in ties with the pro-Russian Slovenskí Branci (Slovak Conscripts) paramilitary group. It is an unofficial paramilitary organization that has been active in Slovakia since 2012.
Investigative journalists from VSquare wrote in 2019 that Slovenskí Branci collaborated with the Slovak branch of the pro-Kremlin Night Wolves Motorcycle Club, and the leader of the group was trained by former Russian special forces.
There is enough information that the Russian Night Wolves nationalist is a project of the Russian special services, they are trained by former Russian special forces. The group often takes part in imperial propaganda campaigns, as well as in advertising campaigns in support of Putin personally. Here is the same “thread” between them: the Slovak writer Juraj Cintula – the pro-Kremlin Night Wolves – the Russian special services – Vladimir Putin.
Robert Fico became Prime Minister of Slovakia in October 2023 and is often described as a pro-Russian politician. In particular, in his speech on the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said that the war in Donbas began due to the “rampant Ukrainian neo-Nazis,” and that “the Russian president had no other choice” but to launch a full-scale invasion to Ukraine as NATO expanded eastward.
However, in January, at a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal, Fico agreed that a policy of “new pragmatism” should be used in relations between the two countries. The Slovak politician promised not to block the allocation of assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Brussels and supported the Peace Formula of Vladimir Zelenskyy. Maybe Putin didn’t like it? And he decided to intimidate such “defectors”?
The assassination attempt on Fico is a warning to other satellites and partners of Moscow, in particular Orbán and Lukashenko, as well as the heads of the CSTO countries… One way or another, it becomes very dangerous to be a satellite or even a “historical ally” or partner of Russia.
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Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and wounded in the chest, stomach and a limb in an assassination attempt.
The shots were fired when he emerged from a cabinet meeting in the city of Handlova. The shooter has been detained and identified. Here are the highlights of the incident that TASS has put together.
How it happened
– Fico was shot after a cabinet meeting in the city of Handlova in western Slovakia. Eyewitnesses told the Plus Jeden Den newspaper they heard four or five shots.
– According to the newspaper, the prime minister suffered wounds to one of his limbs, the stomach and the chest. He is in very serious condition. A helicopter ambulance rushed him to a hospital.
– Reuters reported that Fico was conscious when he arrived at the hospital, and his condition was stabilized.
– JoJ television described the shooter as a 71 years old man.
Reaction from around the world
– European politicians strongly condemned the assassination attempt on Fico. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the incident undermines European diplomacy.
– The prime minister of neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orban, said he was shocked by the “heinous attack,” while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed support to his Slovak counterpart.
– The Belarusian Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the attack on Fico.
About Fico
– Robert Fico has been the prime minister of Slovakia since October 25, 2023. He previously held the post from 2006-2010 and 2012-2018.
– He has long criticized the West’s strategy on Ukraine, saying the conflict has no military solution and arms supplies to Kiev only lead to numerous casualties on both sides.
– Fico has repeatedly noted that Slovakia will not support Ukraine’s bid to join NATO because it doesn’t make sense.
– In February 2024, the Slovak prime minister said the conflict in Ukraine could have been ended at the very beginning, but someone told the Ukrainians they should not do it. Bratislava under Fico has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and peace talks.
– He sees anti-Russian sanctions as “negatively affecting the people of Slovakia.”
– He also expressed the opinion that Ukraine should “significantly standardize” its relations with Russia after the end of the conflict.
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