Anastasiia Ratieieva, analyst HWAG/UCMC
Slovakia reeled from the most severe attack on a European leader in decades. The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, was injured on May 15 as a result of a shooting that occurred after a meeting of the country’s Cabinet of Ministers.
Robert Fico assumed the post of Prime Minister of Slovakia in October 2023 after his party “Course – Social Democracy” won the parliamentary elections. During the election campaign, Robert Fico promised that he would oppose military aid to Ukraine. His re-election was a significant comeback achieved on a platform that included promises to end the military assistance to Kyiv, veto Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, and other rhetoric more reminiscent of Moscow than Brussels.
In this regard, the information about the attempt on Fico became a platform for spreading disinformation narratives by the Kremlin.
Russian Narrative: Everyone is against Russia and its allies
Nikolai Vavilov, 152,000 followers
Shinzo Abe was a random madman; Fico is a frenzied leftist blogger like Shevchenko, Raisi – fog. Everything is random, except they didn’t want enmity with Russia and China.
Margarita Simonyan, 567,000 followers
Raisi’s helicopter accidentally crashed due to fog, and a crazy older man shot Fico, Olof Palme, and Kennedy. Shit happens. But it happens most reliably with careful professional preparation carried out by the masters of shit.
Abbas Djuma, 60,000 followers
You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to connect the dots: events in Turkey, then an attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Fico. There are just too many coincidences.
Marina Akhmedova, 75,000 followers
It’s suspicious that our allies are being removed from the game. Chintula has understanding supporters. After all, he opposed the anti-European policies of Slovak Prime Minister Fico. So, in understanding some parts of society, he was shooting against “evil” in the name of European values.
Verified:
The conspiracy narrative against Russia was among the first to emerge in the Kremlin’s propaganda rhetoric. The assertion that the assassination attempt on Fico was due to his pro-Russian stance manipulates public opinion and allows Russia to portray itself as a victim. The instrumentalization of information triggers related to death is a tactic the Kremlin uses to reinforce its propaganda narrative.
Russian propaganda is trying to deflect suspicion from itself. To avoid directly accusing the West, the term “globalist liberals” has emerged. In Fico’s case, Kremlin propaganda has directed its aggressive reaction towards international organizations, calling them a “globalist sect.” The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is a propaganda source in this instance. The SVR’s statement that “globalist, totally liberal elites are moving towards open terror against opponents” is a blatant accusation.
This narrative intersects with another about the “new world order” that Russia allegedly represents. By portraying the attack as part of a broader conspiracy by globalist elites to eliminate peace advocates, the Kremlin aims to create a narrative where any opposition to their geopolitical agenda is seen as under threat from the West. This tactic undermines trust in international institutions and paints Russia and its allies as the true defenders of stability and national interests.
Russian Narrative: Internal Political Crisis in Europe
360.ru, 236,400 followers
It’s possible that Robert Fico was targeted by his people to reconcile with Brussels. Or the order could have come from Washington, with local actors merely organizing and executing the attack.
Sergei Markov, pro-government political scientist, 65,800 followers
Fico is a victim of internal strife between European political forces, more specifically, between two main coalitions: the one represented by Fico and Viktor Orbán, which focuses on traditional democracy (meaning the government should represent the interests of its citizens), preserving national, religious, and Christian cultural identity. And the second coalition is the globalist postmodern coalition.
Konstantin Dolgov, 1,200 followers
Best wishes to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico for a speedy recovery. Indeed a monstrous crime. How the powerful in the West do not want politicians who defend the national interests of their countries to come to power. R. Fico is also a wise politician, understanding the futility and historical inevitability of confrontation with Russia. Strength to him and God’s help! There will inevitably be more like him in the West.
Verified:
After the victory of Peter Pellegrini, Speaker of Parliament and member of the ruling coalition, in the presidential elections in Slovakia, Fico’s team quickly began to roll back anti-corruption reforms and limit the capabilities of the institutions responsible for them. Simultaneously, there was an attack on the public broadcaster, with Fico’s government trying to gain more control. This mirrors the steps taken by the leader of neighbouring Hungary, Viktor Orbán, who has long been friends with Robert Fico and is a well-known critic of the military support to Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, the Kremlin uses the narrative of an internal political crisis in Europe to influence the agendas of national states. In contrast, Russia is portrayed as a solid and stable state. Following the attack on Fico, an official statement was released indicating that no special measures would be taken for Vladimir Putin’s security. In this rhetoric, globalism becomes a negative, harmful characteristic of policy. Meanwhile, Fico and Orbán are described as representatives of “true democracy,” aiming to “defend national policies.” Of course, in this case, the Kremlin defines “national interests” as ignoring the geopolitical threat from Russia and aligning with its agenda.
Russian Narrative: Connection With Ukraine
War correspondent Kotenok, 380,000 followers
So, in the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, authorities officially found a Ukrainian link. Juraj Chintula’s wife, a Ukrainian, has been arrested. Her correspondence has been uncovered. In general, the case clearly shows the dirty hand of Ukrainian Nazism. It’s all predictable. Demons attack. The shooter declared that one of his primary motives was to “stop aid to Ukraine.” The impunity of Ukrainian Nazism hits Europe hard, especially the few remaining sane forces in the Old World. Old Europe is helpless. And yes, Slovaks and Russians will punish the enemy for Robert Fico.
Writer Roman Antonovsky
“Was Chintula a ‘crazy’ lone shooter? Or is there someone else behind him? If he communicated with the local Ukrainian diaspora, which surely includes agents of the GUR and SBU, maybe the Slovak deshi (democratic madmen) represented by Chintula were recruited and pushed into this assassination attempt by Ukrainian special services.”
Zloy Proof, anonymous Telegram-channel, 480,000 followers
The Slovak police have detained Chintula’s wife for questioning, who attempted to assassinate Fico. They write that she is a refugee from Ukraine and actively participated in planning the assassination. Currently, she is being checked for links with Ukrainian special services.
Ilya Mersh, 611,000 followers
Not surprised that the shooter, Chintula, who is also labelled a writer, turned out to be a pro-Ukrainian sympathizer, attending pro-Ukrainian rallies in Slovakia, and apparently, his wife is Ukrainian. The main question here is how long Europe can tolerate a pig that dirties the living room and tries to bite the host. Considering European society and political elites, they will accept it as long as they are told to, even if Ukrainians officially start shooting all dissenters and take responsibility for it.
Verified:
The narrative linking Ukrainian special services to the executors of the assassination attempt on Robert Fico touches on several themes. First, it attacks Ukrainian refugees. Russian propagandists claimed that Juraj Chintula’s Ukrainian wife allegedly systematically incited her husband to retaliate for the Prime Minister’s anti-Ukrainian statements. However, Slovak Police Chief Lubomir Solak called the claim that Chintula had a Ukrainian wife who “radicalized” him a fake. This fake is aimed at increasing European scepticism towards Ukrainian refugees. “Ukrainian refugees spread instability in Europe” is one of the critical narratives of Russian propaganda since the start of the full-scale war.
Secondly, this narrative supports another one about the threat that Ukraine as a state “poses to the world.” It suggests that Ukrainian special services interfere in the internal politics of other countries if someone in power does not share the idea of helping Ukraine.
