Opinion

Robert Fico meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Last Week: Fico went to Moscow and he has a new talking point

The prime minister wants Russia’s friendship, but anyone who knows history knows what that means.

Michaela Terenzani

Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo (l) and Ukrainian Ambassador to Slovakia Myroslav Kastran stand in front of a destroyed Ukrainian ambulance in downtown Bratislava on 15 April 2025.

‘Appeasement emboldens dictators’: Ukraine’s ambassador on Russia, memory and war

As Ukraine resists invasion, Myroslav Kastran warns Europe not to repeat the mistakes of the 20th century.

Alina Graffyová

A road sign points towards the Foreigners' Police building in Bratislava.

Pay to play?

Slovakia’s bureaucratic failings are making life almost impossible for many foreign residents – and costing the country dear.

James Thomson

The art of saying “no”

In a world that often praises constant “Yeses”, this reflection explores the peaceful strength and grace found in setting boundaries and honoring one’s inner truth.

Eva Staronova

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, right, and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pose for photographers during a round table meeting at an EU Summit in Brussels on March 22, 2024.

Last Week: In Slovakia, disinformation channels are tools of media capture

Robert Fico and his government are living in a symbiosis with them.

Michaela Terenzani

Returning to the ancestral homeland isn’t about nostalgia or living in the past.

Coming home to a place you’ve never been

When descendants of Slovak immigrants walk the same paths as their ancestors, they rediscover family, identity, and a sense of belonging.

Gabriela Bereghazyova

‘Adolescence’ is not just a drama. It’s a wake-up call for every parent and school

At The British International School Bratislava, we teach students about the dangers of online life.

Mark Hatherell

Last Week: Slovakia’s central bank governor still faces bribery case verdict

A judge decides that the amended Criminal Code does not give Peter Kažimír a pass.

Michaela Terenzani

Convicted deal makers in the Slovak healthcare sector

Opaque deals, conflicts of interest, and weak oversight plague Slovakia's healthcare system.

Renáta Bláhová

What is Pope Francis’s message to the powerful?

He called corruption the devil’s dung.

Beata Balogová

My granny, as she was affectionately known, left her home and traveled by train to Hamburg, Germany where she boarded a ship with $5 in her pocket.

“Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her

A granddaughter’s pilgrimage to Slovakia, fuelled by stories, slivovica and a love that never faded.

Beverly Clifford

Spring’s whisper: A time for renewal and compassion

The seasons shift and nature awakens. Spring is here and it offers us a moment to reflect on the delicate balance we share with the earth and its creatures.

Eva Staronova