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What the hell is going on with Robert Fico and Slovakia? [1]

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Date: 2025-01-05

Last we knew, Robert Fico was threatening to turn off electricity to Ukraine in retaliation for Ukraine stopping the flow of natural gas from Russia to Europe.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, he's been holed up in a Vietnamese luxury hotel for two weeks.

According to the newspaper Dennik N, the Slovak Prime Minister's office has not commented on Fico's whereabouts since he visited Moscow on December 22nd. Fico has only commented on social media since the visit. However, the newspaper found out Fico's location from a video he shared on Facebook in which Fico criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According the newspaper, Fico is in the finest Madame Butterfly suite at the Capella Hotel in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. According to Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, the room costs (just) under €6,000 per night. Fico's salary is just over €11,000 per month. Before Christmas, Fico strongly criticized Ukraine's decision to close the gas taps to Europe. Fico traveled to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin after the announcement and threatened to cut off Ukraine's badly needed electricity supplies in response.

Fico from the Facebook video.

The man seems to be running his country through social media. There's another leader we know of that does that.

2 days ago the BBC ran a story: Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has threatened to cut off financial support for more than 130,000 Ukrainian refugees as a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas supplies escalates. Slovakia had been the main entry point for the gas, and the country now stands to lose millions of Euros in transit fees. Fico described Kyiv's move as "sabotage." Last month, Zelensky accused Fico of helping Putin to "fund the war and weaken Ukraine." Poland has offered to support Kyiv in case Slovakia cuts off it's electricity exports, supplies that are crucial to Ukraine, whose power plants come under regular attack by Russia.

In a video message posted to Facebook Thursday, Fico suggested his Smer party could cut its electrical supplies to Ukraine as well as reducing aid to Ukrainian refugees. Slovakia exported 2.4 million megawatt hours of electricity to Ukraine in the first 11 months of 2024, Reuters reported, citing data from the country's grid operator, helping the war-torn country meet shortages caused by Russian bombing of its energy infrastructure.

"The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is renewal of transit or demanding compensation mechanisms that will replace the loss to public finances of nearly €500 million," Fico stated.

Fico's view of Russia's war on Ukraine varies greatly from those of the majority of Europe's leaders. Since returning to power in 2023, Fico has ended his country's military aid to Ukraine and pledged to block Ukraine from joining NATO. He has also been critical of EU sanctions on Russia.

This guy is starting to sound like Victor Orban and Hungary.

So, why is Robert Fico holed up in a luxury hotel in Hanoi, when there's so much he needs to be doing at home? Where did he get all the money he's spending on that room every day? Does this have anything to do with his visit to Putin?

So, what do Slovakians think about this?

The Slovak Spectator says:

Fico has not been seen in public for weeks and gone to some lengths to conceal his location in his videos. However, details such as the phone, curtains, and the elaborately framed television in the hotel suite gave away his location.

You can even compare the room to this 3D rendering of the room. It's done really well. It's of the Madame Butterfly suite and it matches the still above, which is two stills stitched together.

Despite inquiries from Slovak media to the hotel, and the Slovak government, the Prime Minister's activities there remain unclear. Although FICO has often been guarded about when it comes to details of his private travel, this latest controversy has led to criticism, especially from his political opponents, who question his lack of transparency. Similar controversy arose in relation to the premier's recent, similarly unconfirmed, trips to Croatia and Turkey, where background details from his videos and paparazzi photos were used to pinpoint his location.

The leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia... criticized Fico for enjoying such opulence while Slovaks face rising VAT (Value Added Tax) and increased costs of living in January....called on Fico to explain how he could afford such luxury.

More than that, there are street demonstrations in Bratislava of people who are upset with Fico's rule. 4,000 people showed up in freezing weather.

"Slovakia, beware, the occupation has begun," the protest organizers declared in one of their slogans. One banner read, "Fico go to Moscow, leave Slovakia in peace."

"We are not Russia's doormat," protesters told Robert Fico's government, adding that the Prime Minister wants to turn Slovakia over to Russia. "We're not Russia!" the organizers and the crowd chanted.

I didn't remember this happening, but Fico survived an assassination attempt on May 15, 2024. The gunman got off five shots at close range, two hitting Fico in the abdomen and one in his shoulder. Fico went through a five hour operation that saved his life.

The assailant was a 71 year old poet and writer named Juraj Cintula.

During interrogation, he said he acted primarily because of the Fico government's opposition to military assistance to Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Slovakia was one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters. Fico halted arms deliveries to Ukraine when he returned to power, his 4th time serving as prime minister.

Fico's government has made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting, a move critics said would result in government's full control of television and radio. That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path. Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital, and around the country of 5.4 million, to protest his policies. Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the murder of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions.

Taking over media and getting rid of laws and a prosecutor that could target him, Fico sounds more and more like Victor Orban, Trump's favorite leader, whom he wants to emulate.

Fico finally reappeared in public on July 6th, having recovered from the assassination attempt.

Mr. Fico, 59, (criticized) the supposed expansion of progressive ideologies and the West's stand towards Russia over the war in Ukraine.

He said "meaningless" liberal ideas were "spreading like cancer," and that there were not enough peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Russian invasion, according to international and local media reports.

So, the cycle returns. Fico tries to make the government more autocratic and protests occur on a regular basis. Fico's visit to Moscow to see Putin makes his loyalties completely suspect.

His opulent vacations and his means of paying for them point a direct finger at corruption and of influence peddling. It looks like he's in Putin's pocket.

The question is why people keep voting him back in office. The answer is they didn't. In Slovakia the President nominates the Prime Minister, and once approved by the National Council, he's only beholden to the Slovakian parliament, the National Council. Current president is Peter Pellegrini, but Fico was nominated by the previous president and the Prime Minister serves a four year term. There don't appear to be any term limits, which is how this is Fico's fourth term. The President serves a 5-year term, maximum two consecutive terms. Pellegrini is an ally of Fico. Their respective parties made a coalition to form the current government. One piece of information says the President is the Commander in Chief, and another says it's a ceremonial position and the Prime Minister has the real power. The Prime Minister does have the real power.

Confusing? It was for me, too, looking it up.

Let's just say a lot of people in Slovakia think Fico needs to go.

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