Tag: slovakia

Slovak Defense Ministry Accuses Former Government of Sabotage and Treason Over Ukraine Jet Transfer

The Slovak Ministry of Defense said on Friday that it considers the transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets and air defense systems to Ukraine in 2023 as an act of sabotage by the former leadership of the ministry.

“Based on the results of the discovery of a number of failures of the former government, we, as the Ministry of Defense, are filing an application [to law enforcement agencies] on suspicion of committing sabotage, that is, treason, abuse of power and violation of duties to manage other people’s property,” ministry spokesman Igor Melicher told reporters.

After the inspection, the ministry did not find a document that would justify the legality of transferring fighter jets and air defense to Ukraine, the official added.

Earlier, Melicher stated that the transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2023 was illegal, and legal measures would be taken against former Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď. Melicher pointed out that Slovakia’s constitution prohibits a caretaker government from making significant foreign policy decisions, such as transferring fighter jets to Ukraine worth over 500 million euros.

Slovak Ombudsman Robert Dobrovodský reported that the Slovak Ministry of Defense could not find any legal analysis confirming the legality of the MiG-29 transfer to Ukraine by Eduard Heger’s government in 2023.

In December 2022, the Slovak parliament passed a vote of no confidence in Heger’s government, but his cabinet continued to perform its duties with limited powers. In March 2023, Heger’s government decided to transfer 13 MiG-29 fighters and part of the Kub air defense system to Ukraine. The party of the current Prime Minister, Robert Fico, sought an investigation into the circumstances of this transfer, claiming that Heger’s government lacked the authority to make such decisions. Former Defense Minister Naď, who was part of Heger’s cabinet, argued that a legal analysis conducted before the decision confirmed the procedure’s legality.

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Slovakia PM Robert Fico in ‘very serious’ condition after being shot

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is stable but his condition remains “very serious”, his deputy has said, after an assassination attempt that shocked the country and drew global condemnation.

Fico, 59, was shot five times in the central town of Handlova on Wednesday after he left a government meeting. He was in critical condition and underwent several hours of emergency surgery.

“During the night, doctors managed to stabilise the patient’s condition,” Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, the condition is still very serious as the injuries are complicated,” said Kalinak, who is also the defence minister.

Miriam Lapunikova, the director of the FD Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica where Fico was being treated, said he “had multiple gunshot wounds, the consequences of which will affect his recovery”.

“At this point, his condition has stabilised, but it is truly very serious, and therefore he will remain in the intensive care unit,” she added.

Later on Thursday, President-elect Peter Pellegrini, who won election in April, said he had spoken with Fico.

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Revealed: Pensioner poet, 71, accused of shooting Slovakian PM was filmed chanting ‘long live Ukraine!’ – after he gave up his steady life and book club to form anti-violence party when he was attacked at the supermarket by a drunk man

Alleged gunman Juraj Cintula, 71, is facing life in prison if convicted of the ‘lone wolf’, ‘politically motivated’ attack that rocked Europe.

Populist allies of Robert Fico have tried to seize on the shooting with calls to close the Liberal Party and crack down on the free media with some characterising the would-be assassin as a liberal.

But enquiries reveal the poet and retired security guard has a muddled political background having rallied against communism, migrants, and violence – with links to a pro-Russian militia.

Friends in Cintula’s hometown of Levice, western Slovakia, described him as ‘rebellious when he was young, but not aggressive’.

The grey-haired, bearded grandfather wrote poems while chairman of the Duha Literary Club in his hometown and published a racist book on ‘eyeless gypsies’ in 2015.

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Slovakia’s Populist Prime Minister Robert Fico Has Been Shot

Slovakia’s populist prime minister Robert Fico has been shot, according to breaking news reports, after which he was rushed to the hospital and appears to be alive according to early reports. But some reports have listed his condition as “very serious” and that he had to be airlifted.

According to emerging details in The Associated Press, Fico “was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital. The incident took place in the town of Handlova, some 150 kilometers northeast of the capital, according to the news television station TA3.”

Local authorities say that a suspect is in custody. The shooting happened in front of the House of Culture where a government meeting was taking place.

One eyewitness “saw the prime minister being lifted from the ground by security guards and loaded into a car and driven away.”

Several people were greeting Fico and the moment the shots rang out, after which the prime minister fell to the ground. The would-be assassin was then taken by police. No details have been released as to the extent of his injuries.

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