News digest: How to hit Kremlin's war chest

Slovakia to send more military aid to Ukraine, how Slovaks see Russia at the moment. Learn more in today's digest.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Good evening. Here is the Thursday, June 2 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

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Moral duty to pave the way for Ukraine to join EU

On Thursday, the Globsec conference started in Bratislava. In her speech, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that there was a moral duty to pave the way for Ukraine to join the European Union.

The EC president also said that Ukraine needs support not just to win the war against Russia, but also financial help on its way to joining the EU.

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"Ukraine must win this war and Putin must see that for him it is a severe strategic failure," she said. Von der Leyen added that EU countries must rid themselves of their dependency on Russian fossil fuels if they want to make a dent in the Kremlin's war chest.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke at the conference. He thanked countries for their help, but urged them to do more and called for another sanctions package.

"Any division in Europe is an opportunity for Russia to continue its fighting policy," he warned.

Further military aid for Ukraine

Slovakia will sell eight Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine. The state-run company Konštrukta Defence confirmed it has signed a contract on the deal. The contract is part of Slovakia's military aid to Ukraine.

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Military aid to Ukraine is not limited to fuel and ammunition supplies. Most notably, Slovakia has previously donated its air defence system to Ukraine.

As part of its military aid, seized Russian tanks and military vehicles along with damaged Ukrainian military technology are being repaired in Slovakia.

Earlier this week President Zuzana Čaputová visited Kyiv, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and addressing Ukrainian MPs. In her speech she said "howitzers would come soon". Čaputová said she supported Ukraine's accession to the European Union as soon as possible.

Zelensky said Ukraine was grateful for Slovak help, but that more military aid could be provided, particularly helicopters and airplanes.


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Refugees from Ukraine

  • 1,621 women, 744 men and 481 children crossed the Slovak-Ukrainian border on June 1. The number of refugees who have come to Slovakia since the war started is almost 477,000 and more than 79,000 have asked for temporary protection.
  • According to the International Association of Physicians in Slovakia hundreds of healthcare professionals from Ukraine have come to Slovakia. Many are currently dealing with recognition of their qualifications, including largely dentists, gynaecologists, and rehabilitation health workers.

Picture of the day

Thanks to an initiative by the Čierne Diery (Black Holes) civic association mean that the Dom Umenia (House of Arts) building in Piešťany, a western-Slovak spa town, will now be protected from any unwanted significant changes.

Dom Umenia plays an important role in modern Slovak architecture. You can read more about the building here.


Feature story of the day

Central Europe is, increasingly, adopting a clearly Western orientation. Public opinion in the region, which includes Slovakia, has changed as a result of the war in Ukraine, according to the results of the latest Global Trends report.

Forty-four percent of people in Central Europe say they want to be part of the West - an increase of 7 percentage points in the past year.

Slovakia, a country that has been exposed to strong Russian propaganda since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, has also started to see itself more as part of the West. Last year, 55 percent of people regarded Russian President Vladimir Putin positively. Today, 71 percent of people in Slovakia perceive him negatively.

Find out more about the report by clicking the link below.

Less of a brother, more of a threat, Slovaks say of Russia Read more 

In other news

  • A young woman escaped almost unharmed after coming across a bear and her three cubs as she rode a bicycle with her dog on a forest road outside the village of Liptovské Kľačany in the Liptovský Mikuláš district. When the woman saw the animal, she jumped off the bike, lay down on the ground and covered her head with her hands. The bear stepped on the woman's arms but the dog then chased the animal away. The cyclist was only left with minor scratches. According to the State Nature Conservancy, the incident took place in the animal's natural habitat. In the first half of May there was a bear attack in central Slovakia. The number of bear encounters is on the rise, and people are dissatisfied with the government's management policies.
  • This summer season Ryanair is going to operate two new flights from Bratislava Airport. Travellers will be able to fly to the Greek island of Corfu and to Burgas in Bulgaria. There will be two flights per week. The airline will operate another 21 regular flights from Bratislava. A list of regular flights from Košice for this summer season can be found here.
  • Slovakia does not have an independent study of energy poverty, but the Slovak Academy of Sciences is to prepare one. The data will be provided by Slovak energy suppliers and distributors.
  • In just May the Office of the Ombudsman received 108 complaints. In total, there are 179 complaints waiting for the new ombudsperson. The position has been vacant for more than two months, but is expected to be filled this month as MPs reach a decision on a new ombudsperson during the June parliamentary session.
  • The city of Bratislava is continuing to fight mosquitoes using a biocide called BTI. It has recently been used in Rusovce, Petržalka, Devín, Lamač, Karlova Ves, Jarovce, Dúbravka, Vajnory and Rača. The capital has deployed volunteers again as well as drones. The situation is currently "stable", authorities have said.
  • In the near future, police will increase checks on how people follow traffic rules. This comes after an increase in the number of accidents involving vehicles.

More on Spectator.sk

Warhol's works sell for hundreds of millions while his museum in Slovakia lacks money for renovations Read more  Súvisiaci článok Rules drawn up to curb advertising in Bratislava Read more  Slovakia to purchase monkeypox vaccines Read more 

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.


Top stories

Stock image.

Twice as many Ukrainians work in Slovakia now than before the Russian invasion.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


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