Slovakia says Russia interfered in vote won by Ukraine sceptic. Moscow denies it

Slovakia summons Russian embassy official over pre-election comments seen disinformation activities

Moscow rejected accusations of meddling: ‘We do not interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries’

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Robert Fico, the three-time prime minister of Slovakia whose position on the war in Ukraine has raised alarm among Kyv’s allies. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:32am, 3 Oct 2023Updated: 8:54am, 3 Oct 2023

Slovakia on Monday accused Moscow of interfering in its election at the weekend that was won by a populist pledging to end military help for Ukraine.

Robert Fico was tapped Monday to form a new government after his party finished first on a platform that raised concern about cracks in Kyiv’s Western support.

Slovakia alleged meddling following pre-election remarks by Moscow’s foreign intelligence service director claiming Slovakia’s pro-Ukraine centrist party were “US proxies”.

That party, Progressive Slovakia, finished second with 18 per cent of the vote to Fico’s Smer-SD’s 23 per cent in the polls.

“We consider such deliberately disseminated misinformation to be inadmissible interference by the Russian Federation in the electoral process in the Slovak Republic,” Slovakia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The foreign ministry on Monday summoned a Russian embassy official and called on Moscow to “stop disinformation activities aimed at Slovakia”.