Slovak Opposition Commentator Compares Prime Minister Fico to Communist-Era Collaborator

Political commentator Zolo Mikeš has published a sharp critique comparing Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's pro-Russian policies to the collaboration of Vasil Biľak, a prominent communist-era official who supported the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Mikeš argued that Fico's current alignment with Moscow threatens the democratic gains Slovakia has achieved since the 1989 Velvet Revolution that ended communist rule. The commentator suggested that while Biľak collaborated with the Soviets behind closed doors, Fico openly displays his pro-Russian stance in public and before cameras. Fico leads Smer-SD, Slovakia's ruling social-democratic party, which has increasingly adopted pro-Russian positions since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, putting the country at odds with its EU and NATO allies on issues of military aid and sanctions against Russia.