DISINFO: Slovak media explore Ukrainian link to PM Robert Fico assassination attempt
SUMMARY
Elements of the Slovak media are starting to whisper about a potential Ukrainian connection to the alleged assassin who attempted to kill Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico last week. Initially, it was reported that the alleged shooter, 71-year-old pensioner Juraj Cintula acted as a “lone wolf” when he shot the prime minister four times, nearly killing him. However, authorities in Slovakia announced that they are now considering the “more likely” scenario that he was working with a group. Slovakian media outlets have started to ponder if the country that has the most reason to be angry at Fico could be involved. Fico was elected on a promise to end his country’s aid to Ukraine, a campaign promise he fulfilled once he was elected.
RESPONSE
This is a distortion of actual facts, aiming to undermine Ukraine by accusing it of being linked to acts of international terrorism. Pro-Kremlin outlets have exploited the attack against Slovak president Robert Fico as part of a wider disinformation campaign.
The allegation about 'Slovak media' is massively exaggerated, as only two sources are provided to back it, both of which are op-eds from well-known pro-Russian commentators, and one of them is an openly pro-Russian, conspiracist-prone site.
There is nothing indicating any possible Ukrainian link to the attack. Existing evidence so far shows that the suspected perpetrator, a man identified as Juraj Cintula who was arrested on the spot, may belong to the far-right milieu and may have acted for ideological reasons. In the past he had ties to a paramilitary and pro-Russian group called Slovenskí Branci, which advocated for the creation of armed militias to protect Europe from the arrival of migrants and was disbanded in 2020.
This disinformation story also distorts the statements of Slovakia’s Foreign Minister about the possibility of having a wider group involved in the attack, as he did not mention or suggest any Ukrainian participation at all.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the attack on Robert Fico is linked to NATO and Ukraine sponsored terrorism, that Crocus City Hall terror attack was planned and paid for by Ukraine, that Ukrainians attacked the bridge in Baltimore, or that the Kyiv regime is a global terrorist threat.