Kathrine Frich
One of Vladimir Putin’s few remaining partners inside the European Union is facing a surge of public anger.
In the capital, streets filled with demonstrators demanding change at the top.
The unrest comes in a country that has maintained unusually close ties to Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Street anger grows
According to the Daily Express, tens of thousands of people marched through Bratislava on Monday night to denounce Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his openly pro-Putin line.
The mass turnout was described as one of the largest recent displays of dissent against his government.
The protest in the Slovak capital was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution, which ended decades of communist rule in former Czechoslovakia.
Rallies and marches were also reported in dozens of other towns and cities outside Bratislava.
Crowds gathered in rainy Freedom Square chanted, “We have enough of Fico,”
“We want a change” and “Resign.”
One banner carried a famous line by late Czechoslovak and Czech president Václav Havel that became the motto of the Velvet Revolution: “Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred.”
Putin ally under fire
The Daily Express reports that Fico has been among Moscow’s most reliable backers in Europe, even as most EU capitals and the UK have lined up firmly behind Kyiv. Slovakia has some cultural links with Russia and, since the start of the war, Fico has travelled to meet Putin three times.
His government has halted Slovak military aid to Ukraine and positioned itself as a critic of Western support for Kyiv.
At the same time, landlocked Slovakia remains heavily dependent on Russian gas, and Fico has pushed back against EU pressure to reduce that reliance.
The protests are therefore seen as both a direct challenge to his domestic agenda and a signal to the Kremlin that support among ordinary Slovaks is far from guaranteed.
Velvet legacy disputed
Fico has long been a polarising figure in Slovak politics, and large demonstrations have repeatedly targeted his leadership over the years.
However, protesters say the latest decision to interfere with a national day of remembrance has sharpened anger.
The Daily Express notes that his government recently scrapped the national holiday marking the Velvet Revolution, arguing that it was part of a wider package of austerity measures.
Critics accuse him of trying to play down a symbol of the country’s democratic transition.
For many on the streets of Bratislava, rallying on the same anniversary was a way to reclaim that legacy and link their opposition to Fico with the wider struggle over the country’s direction.
Opposition hits back
Michal Šimečka, who leads the opposition Progressive Slovakia party, rejected the government’s explanation for axing the holiday.
“It has nothing to do with economy or savings,” Šimečka said. “Robert Fico just wants to tell us that the holiday of freedom is useless, that freedom is useless. We value freedom and we will not let it be taken away from us.”
The prime minister also stirred further anger with remarks to students in the city of Poprad, the Daily Express reports.
He told them that if they disagreed with his pro-Russian stance, they should go and fight for Ukraine.
Those comments, combined with the holiday decision and continued closeness to Moscow, have turned Fico into a lightning rod for frustrations in one of Putin’s few remaining friendly capitals in Europe.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
