In Bratislava, Slovakia, protesters gathered to demonstrate against the current foreign policy of the country's Prime Minister, Robert Fico. On January 3, thousands of people participated in the rally, chanting slogans against the pro-Russian stance of the Prime Minister.
The participants of the rally shouted slogans such as "We are not Russia," "Slovakia, beware, the occupation has begun," "Fico, go to Moscow and don't come back," "We are Europe," and "We are not a Russian rag." The protest was triggered by Fico's pro-Russian rhetoric, as he has repeatedly blocked EU decisions regarding Russian sanctions, advocates for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on the aggressor's terms, and recently issued threats to Ukraine over the blockade of Russian gas transit to Europe.
The protest concluded with the national anthem of Slovakia from 1993. In total, over 4,000 people attended the rally.
Ja som bol :) pic.twitter.com/m5w7cebXzn
— Michal Dobrodenka (@michaldobro) January 3, 2025
It is worth noting that in December 2024, following Ukraine's decision to halt the transit of Russian gas to European countries, Robert Fico began threatening Ukraine to cut off electricity supplies and even complained to EU leaders about Zelensky for refusing to extend the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine. Fico justified his remarks by claiming that the cessation of gas transit would supposedly harm the EU more than Russia. On January 2, after the final cessation of transit, Fico again threatened Ukraine, labeling its actions as "sabotage" and stating that Slovakia was ready to negotiate the cessation of electricity supplies to Ukraine and significantly reduce support for Ukrainian citizens residing in the country.
Interestingly, Fico recorded his threats to Ukraine not in Slovakia – according to the Slovak publication Dennik N, the last known whereabouts of Fico was on December 22, when he attended an audience with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Since then, Robert Fico's office has not commented on the Slovak Prime Minister's location.
In the background of Fico's video address, one viewer recognized the curtains and vintage phone from the elite Capella Hanoi hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is unknown how much time Fico spent at the hotel.