Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, faced a life-threatening situation on Wednesday as he was targeted in an assassination attempt, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. The incident occurred following an off-site government meeting in Handlova, central Slovakia. Reports suggest that the assailant was among a group waiting to greet the prime minister outside the cultural center where the meeting took place.
Video footage captured the chaotic scene as Fico, injured, was swiftly ushered into a vehicle by his team before being rushed away from the site. He was initially taken to a local hospital and later airlifted to a major trauma center in Banska Bistrica, approximately 20 miles away.
A statement released on Fico's official Facebook page and his party's website labeled the attack as an "assassination attempt," revealing the severity of his injuries. "He was shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition. The next few hours will be decisive," the statement emphasized. Fortunately, no other individuals were harmed during the attack, confirmed Slovak Labor Minister Erik Tomáš.
Fico holds significant political power in Slovakia, serving as the most influential lawmaker. Unlike the president, whose authority is more circumscribed, the prime minister assumes a pivotal role as the primary decision-maker within the government structure.
“For the first time in the 31 years of our democratic sovereign republic, someone has decided to express a political opinion not in an election but with a gun on the street,” he wrote on Facebook.
Opposition lawmaker Maria Kolikova described the assault as “an attack on the internal security” of Slovakia.
Felt like a ‘nightmare’
An eyewitness who was at the scene where Fico was shot said the attack felt like a “nightmare” after hearing three “quick” shots, fired one after the other as if you were to “throw a firecracker on the ground.”
“I heard three shots, it was quick one by one like if you throw a firecracker on the ground,” eyewitness Lubica Valkova told Reuters, adding that “he (Fico) fell next to the barrier.”
“I think it is a nightmare, I’ll tell you I think I will not wake up from this,” the 66-year-old said. “That this is not possible to happen in Slovakia.”
Valkova said she had been waiting a long time to shake Fico’s hand and was taking pictures of him when he walked out of the building in Handlova.
“At this moment we heard something like a bang, we thought someone made a joke and threw a firecracker on the ground, that was my first reaction,” Valkova recalled.
The Slovak resident told Reuters she had been waiting from 10 a.m. local time. She claimed police did not search people who were waiting at the event, adding that “we could have shown our empty hands.”
Ally of Moscow
In what was a stunning comeback for the controversial politician, Fico won a third term as Slovakian prime minister last October after running a campaign that criticized western support for Ukraine. Fico had pledged an immediate end to Slovak military support for Ukraine and promised to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions in what would upend Slovakia’s staunch backing for Ukraine.
Ahead of the election, Fico made no secret of his sympathies towards the Kremlin and blamed “Ukrainian Nazis and fascists” for provoking Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion, repeating the false narrative Russia’s president has used to justify his invasion.
While in opposition, Fico became a close ally of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, especially when it came to criticism of the European Union.
Fico previously served as Slovakia’s prime minister for more than a decade, first between 2006 and 2010 and then again from 2012 to 2018. He was forced to resign in March 2018 after weeks of mass protests over the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová. Kuciak reported on corruption among the country’s elite, including people directly connected to Fico and his party SMER.
World leaders immediately condemned the attack.
Russian ambassador to Slovakia Igor Bratcikov condemned the “brutal assassination attempt” in a letter addressed to Fico, calling for the “perpetrators” to be punished.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted: “I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family.”
And Hungarian Prime Minister Orban added: “I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed “solidarity with the people of Slovakia” following the “appalling” assault on Fico.
“We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state’s head of government. Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere,” he posted on X.
US President Joe Biden said he was “alarmed” by the attempted assassination of Fico, calling it a “horrific act of violence.”
“Jill and I are praying for a swift recovery, and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia,” he said in a statement.
