Fico’s chief of staff attacks Slovak hybrid threat fighters

In early November, Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Chief of Staff Juraj Gedra (Smer) shared a video on Facebook in which he slammed the teams at several ministries and the Government Office, which have been fighting Russia’s influence operations.

“Political activists will no longer dictate the right opinion to Slovaks,” Gedra said, promising to fix the problem at least at the Office he is responsible for.

In addition to the Government Office, the undersupported teams operate at the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry and the Interior Ministry. Most were formed after the parliamentary election in 2020.

But Gedra’s claim goes against the government’s plan to fight hybrid threats.