Greetings. Welcome to Today in Slovakia — where a pro-Russian biker gang decided it’s time to run its own secret service.
But let’s kick off with the prime minister’s Wednesday rants.
Fico vs Brussels. Prime Minister Robert Fico is once again spoiling for a fight with Brussels. Ahead of next week’s European Council summit (23 October), he told Council President António Costa he was “astonished” that Ukraine will again top the agenda — not Europe’s “massive economic and political problems”.
No sanctions without industry relief. Fico warned he won’t back any new sanctions on Russia until EU leaders tackle the crisis in the car industry and sky-high energy prices. “I refuse to gloss over these serious topics with empty phrases,” he snapped, accusing Brussels of showering Ukraine with detailed pledges while ignoring Europe’s competitiveness.
1, 2, 3 … the rant. “Topic number one — Ukraine. Two — money for Ukraine. Three — loans for Ukraine. Four — weapons for Ukraine. Five — how to help Ukraine. Six — how not to leave Ukraine alone. Seven — how to defeat Russia. Then nothing, nothing, nothing … and maybe at the end, a word about competitiveness.”
Rendez-vous. Slovakia and Ukraine meet again on Friday in Košice for another round of talks.
Nineteen and counting. The EU’s 19th sanctions package — targeting Russian LNG, oil infrastructure, shadow tankers, crypto and diplomats’ travel — remains stuck after weeks of wrangling. Diplomats say the deal was nearly done — until Slovakia and Austria hit the brakes. Bratislava is pushing for guarantees on competitiveness and tweaks to the 2035 EU ban on new combustion-engine cars; Vienna is pushing for a carve-out to unfreeze Russian assets linked to an Austrian bank claim.
“Not a punching bag”. Fico also railed against what he called his government’s image as a “punching bag” (fackovací panák in Slovak — though Slovakia’s patriotic leader used the Czech Otloukánek), complaining that “everyone credits external factors when Slovakia does well, but blames the government when things go wrong”. He stressed that Slovakia is an export-oriented economy heavily exposed to global shocks — even comparing the country with France, pointing to its higher debt and revolving-door politics.
Fiscal discipline to stay. Fiscal tightening, he promised, will continue into 2026. He said the government plans, at the December parliamentary session, to adopt measures aimed at further slimming down the state. “What will you say when we come forward with a proposal to merge the Antimonopoly Office with the Public Procurement Office?” he asked rhetorically. “I can already see the reactions: ‘They’re going to abolish the Public Procurement Office! They’re going to steal!’”
“Significant trip”. On Sunday, he heads to the UAE in search of investment in transport and water infrastructure. He said several non-EU countries had shown interest in investing in Slovakia’s car industry — but offered no details or names.
Tax talk. On Wednesday, during his appearance at the “Consolidation 2026” conference, he also took aim at the 200,000 freelancers who, according to Fico, don’t pay taxes — and at those fuelling the shadow economy. “Who here has ever paid in a restaurant without a receipt?” he asked reporters. “Hand on heart.”
He added one of his go-to anecdotes: “It happens to me regularly in everyday life that a business owner asks me whether I want an invoice or not.” And with a string of other statements the premier made on Wednesday, he seemed determined to convince as many people as possible that under his watch, things aren’t as bad as they look — and that they’re getting better, and will keep improving.
On social media, Fico also voiced support for a man whose report on the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to see the light of day — with several deadlines already missed.
Fico’s vaccine envoy under police probe
Police move. The Bratislava Regional Police have launched a criminal investigation into government envoy Peter Kotlár over claims that COVID-19 vaccines amount to gene therapy. The case concerns the spreading of false or alarming information.
Complaints pile up. Opposition MPs Tomáš Szalay and Jana Bittó Cigániková from the liberal SaS party filed criminal complaints, joined by controversial YouTuber Martin Daňo. Police confirmed the investigation but declined to provide further details while it is ongoing.
Conspiracy echoes. Kotlár, appointed by Prime Minister Robert Fico to review Slovakia’s COVID-19 response, has become known for promoting anti-vaccine narratives. At a March press conference, he alleged that mRNA vaccines contained “problematic” ingredients and compared Slovaks to genetically modified corn.
Political pushback. Opposition figures accused him of endangering public health. Szalay urged the government to dismiss him. According to the SaS party, the government’s envoy has already been questioned by police. MP Bittó Cigániková claimed Kotlár admitted during his interrogation that his statements were not based on data but on personal fabrication. Former justice minister Mária Kolíková called the police action a sign that honest investigators “still exist”. But the real drama may only start if Kotlár ever ends up facing charges.
Science speaks. A government-commissioned analysis by the Slovak Academy of Sciences later confirmed that the vaccines’ composition matched manufacturers’ data and contained nothing capable of altering human DNA.
Fico stands firm. Prime Minister Robert Fico defended Kotlár, writing on Facebook that “people were once hanged for telling the truth”. He claimed several people around him had suffered health problems after vaccination, and described Kotlár as “an honest, decent man” whose determination could “keep a coalition together for a hundred years”.
Coalition split. But not everyone in government is a fan. Unlike Fico’s Smer party and its nationalist ally SNS, the third coalition partner Hlas is keeping its distance. “The government’s envoy still hasn’t completed his task — to deliver a report on how the pandemic was managed between 2020 and 2023. The whole government is waiting for it,” said Hlas leader and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok.
Kotlár unfazed. MP Kotlár said he’s not worried about the criminal investigation into spreading false information. “I’m being investigated by employees of Minister Šutaj Eštok, so let them investigate me,” he told Denník N.
Kotlár’s next act. He is gearing up for a multi-part TV series on STVR (state broadcaster) — his bid, he says, to “professionally explain” his findings, debunk “concepts misleading to society”, and unpack the processes behind them. Kotlár also floated the idea that officials might ultimately back the Slovak Academy of Sciences’ conclusions. His final pandemic report is now due by 31 January 2026.
A sting in the tail. Kotlár’s wondering aloud why the government’s gone quiet about his report, which he stands by. Is his investigation just political theatre? “If you’re not happy with my work,” he said pointedly, “then dismiss me”.
What The Slovak Spectator had on Wednesday:
Slovakia publishes crisis handbook amid EU warnings on Russia
Up to 18 hours of waiting: Patients struggle for emergency care after Malacky closure
“I stopped being afraid”: Theatre director on leaving Slovakia and finding his voice
Brezno: a hidden alpine gem poised to become the ‘Slovak Semmering’
Pro-Russian biker gang launches ‘secret service’
New front. A pro-Russian biker gang in Slovakia calling itself Brother for Brother (Brat za Brata) has announced the creation of a so-called National Information Service (NIS) — a self-styled “parallel secret service” meant to act as an alternative to the official Slovak Information Service (SIS).
Their claim. “The SIS mostly serves politicians, so we’re launching a new project,” gang leader Matúš Alexa said in a statement. Alexa, long identified by experts as part of a Russian influence network, urged supporters to email the group and join its “information-gathering mission”.
The plan. Alexa said NIS had already been operating “for about four months” and would now invite the public to “collect information on all those who want to destroy our country”. He promised a new studio to publish these “findings”, complete with on-air confrontations between the targets and the accusers.
Security alarm. Experts see the initiative as a potential destabilisation effort against Slovakia — and part of Russia’s broader hybrid war against the West. Patrik Haburaj of the Institute for New Security Threats told SME the project “undermines trust in state institutions and fuels polarisation”.
Legal grey zone. Opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS) warned the group’s activities could be illegal. “Citizens’ associations cannot replace state authorities,” said PS MP Zuzana Števulová, a member of the parliamentary committee overseeing the intelligence service. If laws on civic associations are breached, she said, Brother for Brother could be dissolved.
The privacy problem. Collecting or publishing personal data, as Alexa suggested, could violate Slovak privacy and data-protection laws. The national Data Protection Office said that such activities are only lawful with explicit consent or a special legal basis — violations can trigger fines of up to €20 million.
Official silence. The Interior Ministry and the Slovak Information Service did not respond to SME’s questions about the group’s activities. Police said they would examine “any reasonable suspicion of unlawful conduct” by the gang or its members.
Moscow ties. Brother for Brother’s Telegram channel is one of the most-shared Slovak sources by the Russian embassy, second only to Moscow’s state media. Alexa is an open admirer of Russia, often posting photos from events at the Russian embassy. Last year, he received a medal from Vladimir Putin, presented in Bratislava by Ambassador Igor Bratchikov. Alexa even broke the news of Bratchikov’s upcoming departure from Slovakia before the embassy confirmed it.
High-level company. Guests at the ambassador’s farewell reception included SNS leader Andrej Danko, Smer MEP Ľuboš Blaha and Smer MP and former police chief Tibor Gašpar, father of Slovakia’s intelligence chief Pavol Gašpar and a long-time admirer of Russia.
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Slovak wages up, four sectors trail inflation
Wages rising. In August 2025, wages in Slovakia increased across all ten monitored sectors, according to the Statistics Office. Employment remained largely stagnant, and several key sectors recorded further job losses.
Nominal gains. The average nominal monthly wage grew year-on-year in every sector, ranging from 0.5 percent in the sale and repair of motor vehicles to 9 percent in food and beverage services. Wages in transportation and storage, construction, and retail trade each rose by 5 percent. Nominal wage data track earnings before inflation adjustments and help show changes in overall income levels across the economy.
Real pay picture. After adjusting for inflation, real wages increased in six of ten sectors. The fastest real growth was recorded in food and beverage services, up 4.6 percent. Smaller gains were seen in accommodation (+0.2 percent) and retail trade (+2.4 percent).
Falling behind. Real wages declined in four sectors — by 3.6 percent in the sale and repair of motor vehicles, by 2.2 percent in selected market services, and by up to 0.8 percent in industry and in information and communication.
Analyst’s take. “Wages are still growing in every monitored sector, but in four of them the increase already lags behind inflation,” said Tomáš Boháček of 365.bank. He noted that real wages fell in industry and ICT and that companies are showing more caution amid weaker demand.
Year so far. Between January and August 2025, wages increased year-on-year in nominal terms in all ten sectors and in real terms in nine. Real growth ranged from 0.2 percent in wholesale to 4.6 percent in food and beverage services. A real decline of 1.4 percent was recorded in selected market services.
Jobs check. Employment in August 2025 decreased year-on-year in five sectors. The largest fall was in wholesale trade (−4 percent), with smaller drops in selected market services, construction, industry, and transport and storage (−0.8 to −1.8 percent). Employment rose slightly in retail, motor vehicle repair, food and beverage services, accommodation, and information and communication.
Why it matters. Employment data offer an early signal of business confidence and the wider health of the economy. Persistent job losses, even alongside nominal wage growth, may point to restructuring within key sectors or a shift in labour demand.
Eight-month trend. From January to August 2025, employment increased year-on-year in five out of ten sectors, led by accommodation (+2.4 percent). A year-on-year decline of less than 2 percent was recorded in transportation and storage and in wholesale trade.
Wednesday scroll: Selected Facebook posts from the parliamentary parties
COALITION
Smer: Smer dismissed opposition criticism as “progressive hysteria”, claiming its government is delivering tangible results and that “facts are the best answer” to bleak portrayals of Slovakia’s economy.
Hlas: The party defended the government’s draft state budget as “saving on the state, not on people”, arguing fiscal tightening is necessary after what it called the reckless spending of previous governments, and pledged to hand over “healthy finances” by 2027. The party also announced expanded access to modern cystic fibrosis treatment — now covered for children from age two and for more genetic variants — calling it a major step forward for patients’ quality of life.
SNS: SNS leader Andrej Danko said that part-time self-employed workers earning up to €10,000 a year will be exempt from paying social and health contributions.
OPPOSITION
Progressive Slovakia: PS shared a message from Swedish MEP Abir Al-Sahlani urging Slovaks to “replace Robert Fico”, and warned that the government’s new health budget will mean higher contributions but worse care — longer waits, higher fees, and “more money for less service.”
SaS: The party accused the government of tolerating fraud in EU tourism subsidies, pointing to the Villa Rosé guesthouse for six people in Lehnice, which allegedly reported 2,888 overnight stays in a year — “as if a Slovak year had 481 days”. The party claims the villa listed nights at €2.80 despite advertising €300 online, calling it proof that Fico “looks away when his allies profit from public money”. They also took aim at pandemic envoy Peter Kotlár and the draft budget, echoing other opposition critiques.
Slovensko: Slovensko accused Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová of nearly overpaying for land near Košice by €3.5 million, saying the deal was halted only after the party exposed it, and pointed to plummeting public trust — “87 percent felt safe under our government, just 12 percent under Fico”.
KDH: The party slammed the government for expanding gambling “like con artists” instead of tackling poverty, and accused Prime Minister Fico and Education Minister Tomáš Drucker of ignoring Roma communities and burdening schools with chaotic reforms, calling it a moral failure and “a shame for Slovakia”.
And the rest…
Slovakia’s parliament debated the 2026 state budget until midnight on Wednesday, with only three coalition MPs taking the floor — the rest of the discussion dominated by the opposition.
Six foreign business chambers — from the US, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Sweden — have protested Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba’s rushed amendment to the Environmental Fund Act. They warn the changes mark “a first step toward nationalising and monopolising” Slovakia’s waste management system and criticise the lack of public consultation with affected companies.
The Korean carmaker Kia was Slovakia’s biggest corporate taxpayer in 2024, paying €226 million, according to a Finstat analysis — nearly four times its bill two years earlier. Slovenské elektrárne followed with €133 million, and Volkswagen Slovakia ranked third with €90 million. In total, Slovak firms paid €3.7 billion in corporate tax last year — up 5.3 percent from 2023.
Slovakia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.3 percent in September, staying above 4 percent for the fifth straight month, according to the Statistics Office. Food prices eased slightly, but transport costs climbed faster, driving the overall increase.
Bratislava signed a joint memorandum with NATO partners to boost Slovakia’s defence sector, focusing on support for the Military Technical and Testing Institute Záhorie. Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák said the centre could become a NATO “centre of excellence for artillery, ammunition, and indirect fire” — areas where Slovakia “is at its best”.
Michal Pavlík, a member of the Demokrati party and district chair for Bratislava–Nové Mesto and Ružinov, died in a highway crash involving a van and a truck. Pavlík, who coordinated the party’s petition drive for a referendum on early elections, was reportedly transporting petition sheets at the time of the accident.
CASTLE STAYCATION — One of next summer’s big draws in the Žilina Region will be a new experience at the iconic Orava Castle — overnight stays. TV Markíza reports that apartments are being prepared for visitors keen to spend the night inside the historic fortress.
AUTUMN CATCH IN IŇAČOVCE — One of Slovakia’s largest fishpond systems — 470 hectares near Michalovce — has begun its traditional autumn harvest. Fishermen are hauling in carp, pike, silver carp, and grass carp the old-fashioned way, chasing fish with nets to the pond’s edge. This year’s stock is said to be “healthy and well-grown” but smaller in number, as birds from a nearby dry nature reserve have taken their share.
A NOBEL THAT’S (ALMOST) OURS — This year’s Nobel Prize in Literature went to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai — dubbed the “master of apocalypse” — but Slovakia gets a small share of the glory. His grandparents hailed from Tótkomlós (Slovenský Komlóš) in Hungary’s Békés County, home to a strong Slovak community.
HUSÁRIK UP FOR SALE — The iconic four-star mountain retreat above Čadca — a Kysuce landmark since the 1970s — is on the market. Fully renovated, with 77 beds, a chalet, and a treehouse, it’s billed as “ready to run” and ripe for expansion. Once a socialist-era dream, now a private success story — and potentially, a smart tourism investment.
NIGHT SHIFT IN THE TATRAS — The mountains never sleep — and neither do their furriest rangers. Tatry_official shared a “night patrol” video starring a team of bears on after-hours duty.
Thursday, 16 October — What to watch
POLITICS
40th Session of the National Council — Lawmakers continue debating the 2026 state budget.
Progressive Slovakia press conference: “Everything he touched, he broke — the bungling minister must go.”
Special parliamentary committee on oversight of Military Intelligence activity — Closed-door meeting at the National Council.
Public appeal “Direction: West” — Prominent Slovak figures present a joint declaration urging a pro-Western foreign policy course; organisers to deliver it to the Government Office and Presidential Palace.
Protest by private and church schools: “Withdraw harmful education laws.”
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
EU Export Day — Key event for Slovak business leaders focused on export readiness and competitiveness beyond the EU. Speakers include PM Robert Fico, EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, Economy Minister Denisa Saková, and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár.
Press conference of SEPS (Slovak Electricity Transmission System): “Start of construction of the new Vajnory substation.”
Press conference of Aures Holdings (AAA Auto, Mototechna): “Market statistics, price forecasts, consolidation impacts, results, and company plans.”
Press conference of DPD Slovakia: “Surveys, data, and analytics in parcel delivery and e-commerce.”
Moddom 2025 – International furniture and interior design fair (Incheba Expo, Bratislava).
Housing and real estate fair (Incheba Expo, Bratislava).
SOCIAL & PUBLIC SECTOR
Press conference of the Clothing Bank: “How many families received help this year, and what challenges do single parents face?”
National CPR record attempt: “Continuous resuscitation for 10 minutes” held in all regional capitals, with first-aid professionals participating.
CULTURE, MEDIA & EVENTS
Press conference of the Košice State Philharmonic: “Artistic and product news in the 57th concert season — Košice: Global – Our Own.”
Opening of the Tutankhamun exhibition (Sport Mall, Bratislava).
Discussion: “City and housing in the age of disinformation.” — Part of the EU project Citizens & libraries against disinformation (CLAD).
THURSDAY’S FRONT PAGES
Sme: Kamenický vanished from the debate
Denník N: Shootouts with Mazurek
Pravda: New highways in jeopardy. State tightens its belt in transport
Hospodárske noviny: State to scrutinise freelancers’ assets over taxes
Nový čas: Demokrati member Pavlík (†38): A dream of politics destroyed by a lorry
Plus jeden deň: Radek Brzobohatý (†79): STVR aired his final footage before death — chilling testimony from Gregorová
Thursday weather: Clouds rule, sun peeks through. Morning fog, a stray shower — maybe a snowflake in the hills. Highs 9–16°C — cool, crisp, classic October.
Name day: Vladimíra.
That’s all from us for now — the weekend’s in sight, and as always, thanks for letting us be part of your day. We’ll be back on Thursday — new day, same Slovak drama.
P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
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