A Russian serviceman guards in the area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in the territory under Russian military control, southeastern Ukraine, on May 1, 2022. (source: AP Photo)
The Slovak police are warning people against fake calls for peace in Ukraine by various pro-Kremlin groups and individuals in Slovak media and social media space.
Though it seems to be a rational request, the groups represent Russia’s interests and they hide their actual goals behind peace. The police call it “a well-thought-out strategy”.Though it seems to be a rational request, the groups represent Russia’s interests and they hide their actual goals behind peace. The police call it “a well-thought-out strategy”.
“What they actually mean to achieve is the capitulation of Ukraine,” the police posted on Facebook, noting this would most likely result in the destruction of the sovereign country.
The police added that fake calls for peace are an important tool and a very “dangerous communication strategy” of Russian propaganda in Slovakia, as pro-Kremlin groups try to get Slovaks on their side without revealing their support of Russia.
People should verify information about the conflict in Ukraine from several sources.
Several cyber-attacks in Slovakia
The police went on to remind people that Russia labelled Slovakia its enemy. Calls for cyber-attacks from influential Russian accounts were, moreover, reported over the past weekend.
Last week, the National Security Office issued a warning against coordinated cyber-attacks on Slovak targets such as banks, firms and public offices. In cooperation with security forces, the Office recorded a series of cyber security incidents that led to disabling services provided by the mentioned entities.
The Russian group anonymous.ru is behind the attacks, the Office said. As Živé.sk has pointed out, hackers should be members of the pro-Russian group Killnet. They carried out similar attacks in Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic in the past.
The website has added recent attacks were not very successful. Websites of several firms were slowed down or unavailable for an hour or two. Bratislava airport’s website was unavailable a bit longer. The group, for example, attacked the websites of several taxi services, financial institutions, as well as the website of Sliač airpot, Živé.sk wrote.
In an interview with the Sme daily, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď (OĽaNO) said on Monday that cyber-attacks by pro-Russian groups are quite common in Slovakia. His ministry also faced cyber-attacks but they were unsuccessful, he added.
