News digest: Slovak PM and Kyiv clash in social media spat

Good evening. Here is the Monday, August 11 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in a few minutes.

Fico faces Ukrainian backlash over war remarks

PM Robert Fico. (source: SITA)

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry traded harsh words on social media over the weekend.

The exchange began on Saturday with a video statement from Fico, commenting on the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He claimed his party had been “right about virtually everything” in its assessment of the war in Ukraine, arguing it has no military solution, that Ukraine’s NATO membership is impossible, and repeating several pro-Kremlin talking points.

Fico said Ukraine would “probably have to pay dearly” and partly blamed its leaders for being “lured by the West to weaken Russia”. He again claimed the war could have ended in April 2022.

He did not mention, for example that peace talks broke down after reports of civilian killings in Bucha, that he himself had voted for a parliamentary resolution strongly condemning Russia’s unprovoked aggression.

In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry accused Fico of disrespecting the fallen and “resorting to openly offensive rhetoric towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people”. The ministry criticised him for failing to acknowledge “the real reasons for this criminal invasion and the danger of cooperation with the aggressor state”, and warned against using “unfriendly folkloric analogies” or exploiting Ukraine for domestic political gain.

Fico replied that he had the right to a different opinion, saying the war had “deformed freedom of speech in the European Union” and that his views were based on “objective information”.

“As the prime minister of a sovereign country, I will maintain the right to freedom of expression and a different opinion, even if it causes nervousness among my colleagues in the EU and in neighbouring Ukraine. Even if my sovereign opinion on the military conflict in Ukraine almost cost me my life,” he said.

He also stressed Slovakia’s assistance to Ukraine, including critical electricity supplies. Fico accused Ukraine of using European rules to require Slovakia to provide gas transit infrastructure, while claiming President Volodymyr Zelensky had halted gas deliveries to Slovakia – a move he said harmed the country.

Former economy minister Karel Hirman (non-parliamentary Demokrati) disputed these claims, saying the gas transit stemmed from commercial contracts that benefit pipeline operator Eustream, 51 percent owned by the state. He added that the stoppage of gas was due to the expiry of a contract between Ukraine’s Naftogaz and Russia’s Gazprom and to cut Russia’s revenues, not a decision by Zelensky.

Survival guide no one should need

A homeless man is sleeping under an unbrella during a heatwave. (source: TASR/AP )

At home, all it takes is to turn on the tap; for people experiencing homelessness, however, there are many obstacles to accessing water in the summer, says Jozef Kákoš, director of Depaul Slovakia, an organisation that runs a shelter and provides care for those in need.

“Where to stay, how far they need to go to reach a toilet, and where they can refill their water bottles – these are things they have to plan in advance,” he says in an interview.

EVENT FOR THIS WEEK

Evening on the Ramparts returns

A still from a previous edition of the event. (source: TASR)

The popular Večer na Hradbách (Evening on the Ramparts) will be held for the second time this summer on Friday evening. From 18:00, the ramparts next to St Martin’s Cathedral will host illusionists, followed by two electronic music concerts. Entry is free, click here to learn more.

IN OTHER NEWS

A new survey shows Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) as the politician seen by the public as lying the most, with 52 percent of respondents selecting him. Igor Matovič, leader of the opposition Slovensko movement, came second with 34.6 percent, followed by Progressive Slovakia chair Michal Šimečka with 24.2 percent. The poll, conducted by Focus from July 7–13 on a sample of 1,032 people, allowed respondents to name up to three politicians. The rest of the top ten were: Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer, 18.8 percent), SNS chair Andrej Danko (17.4 percent), Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas, 13 percent), President Peter Pellegrini (10.9 percent), Demokrati chair Jaroslav Naď (10.6 percent), Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (7.6 percent) and former SaS chair Richard Sulík (4.8 percent). Notably, Fico was the second choice even among voters for coalition partner Hlas. (360tka.sk)
Health Minister Kamil Šaško (Hlas) has announced that the controversial €2 billion ambulance tender will be cancelled after an initial review suggested transparency may have been compromised. The move follows the resignation on Monday of Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre director Marián Povolný, just days after winning the selection process. Šaško said a new director will be appointed before formally scrapping the tender. The opposition has repeatedly criticised the process as non-transparent and renewed calls on Monday for Šaško to resign. Parliamentary Speaker Richard Raši (Hlas) confirmed that an extraordinary session on his dismissal, requested by the opposition, will take place on Wednesday. (TASR)
Several dozen civic initiatives are calling for Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) to resign and for Slovak Information Service director Pavol Gašpar to be dismissed, accusing them of spreading false claims about an alleged coup. At the end of January, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer), Šutaj Eštok and Gašpar claimed – without evidence – that civic initiatives were led by Georgian Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of the Georgian Legion fighting in Ukraine, and that he was banned from entering the Schengen Area. The groups say this was false, noting Mamulashvili was in Bratislava in July and presented documents showing no such ban. They argue that state officials violated basic democratic principles. (SITA)

Bratislava firefighters have prevented a ship from sinking on the Danube near the Tyršovo Nábrežie embankment. The vessel had flooded to around half its height and was taking on water at a rate of 10 centimetres every 10 minutes. Firefighters used pumps to halt the flooding and stabilise the ship. (source: TASR)

Since the sugary drinks tax took effect in January 2025, sales have dropped by around 12 percent, with syrup sales falling 15 percent year-on-year in the first half, according to the Finance Ministry’s Institute for Financial Policy (IFP). Some consumers have switched to smaller packaging. By contrast, energy drink sales rose by 7 percent, which the IFP attributes to smaller price increases for this category. (IFP via Facebook)
The Adapt Institute’s latest disinformation trends report found that Prime Minister Robert Fico had the most-shared post on the alleged British interference in Slovakia’s 2023 parliamentary election. Using the Gerulata Juno analytical tool, the institute found Fico’s video – in which he accused “political activists and journalists, paid and controlled by Great Britain” of aiding Progressive Slovakia at Smer’s expense – topped the list of posts with the highest engagement. Three of the top five posts came from Fico. (Adapt Institute)
Misogynistic attitudes are widespread among Slovak schoolboys, according to the State School Inspection. Citing a May report on well-being and attitudes, the inspection found that 21 percent of boys believe women are incapable of running a company or the state, and one in five question the value of higher education for women. In secondary schools, 35 percent of boys said they would be willing to use violence to solve problems if the state could not. The inspection highlighted the findings after Smer MEP Erik Kaliňák and MP Richard Glück posed for a photo with the Tate brothers, who face charges of rape and human trafficking. (State School Inspection via Facebook, SSI)
Progressive Slovakia and SaS have criticised the government for failing to respond to an attack on a photography exhibition at the Slovak National Festival in Báčsky Petrovec, Vojvodina, Serbia. Supporters of President Aleksandar Vučić’s ruling party attacked the display, which documented student protests in Serbia, injuring several people and damaging photos. SaS has called for the Serbian ambassador to be summoned to explain the incident and the progress of the investigation. Although not part of the official programme, the exhibition was organised by the Slovak minority. Prime Minister Robert Fico said the incident was a domestic matter and unrelated to the Slovak minority there, adding that Slovakia was monitoring the situation. He criticised “liberals and progressives” for, in his words, dividing people and interfering in Serbian affairs. (TASR)