What Others Write About Slovakia – 7 November 2026

In brief

• The Ukrainian Yevropeiska Pravda reports that Robert Fico, without presenting evidence, stated that the 2003 referendum on Slovakia's accession to the EU was falsified.
• The Russian Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports the same statement and writes that Slovakia intends to challenge in the EU court any possible ban on Russian oil imports, and will not give up purchases of Russian gas and nuclear fuel.
• According to Vesti.ru (propaganda media), Fico claims that some EU countries are trying to blackmail Bratislava over a €70 billion loan for Ukraine, and that Slovakia is using its right of veto.
• Vesti.ru (propaganda media) also reports that Fico described agreeing on the new seven-year EU budget as very difficult.
• The same Russian media outlets report Elon Musk's statements about increasing Starlink's throughput and information about a drop in SpaceX and Tesla shares after the US midterm elections; these have not been verified here.

Ukrainian press

The Ukrainian Yevropeiska Pravda reports that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, without presenting evidence, stated that the referendum on Slovakia's accession to the European Union in 2003 was falsified; according to this publication, Fico claimed the result was so close that adjustments were made, and during the opening of the "School of Social Democracy" of his party Smer, he recalled that the opposition also supported EU accession (Фіцо заявив, що референдум про вступ Словаччини до ЄС був сфальсифікований – Європейська правда). The Russian Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports the same statement, adding an announcement of a challenge to a possible EU embargo on Russian oil, which shows that disputed EU issues remain at the center of Slovak public debate (Фицо заявил о фальсификации итогов референдума о вступлении Словакии в ЕС – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)).

Russian press

The Russian portal Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports a statement by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico according to which the results of the 2003 referendum on Slovakia's accession to the European Union were falsified. As Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports, Fico spoke of a small difference in votes and suggested corrections in the counting, and also recalled that both the ruling coalition and the then opposition supported EU accession. Vesti.ru (propaganda media) also reports that Slovakia intends to challenge in the EU court a possible ban on Russian oil imports, while deputy economy minister Vladimir Shimoniak announced further purchases of Russian gas and nuclear fuel. It should be emphasized that this is Kremlin propaganda: the allegation of a falsified referendum is here only Fico's statement and has not been confirmed by independent sources.

Kremlin propaganda in Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the possibility of challenging in the EU court a possible EU ban on Russian oil imports, citing the RIA Novosti agency. According to this account, Slovakia will also not give up purchases of Russian gas and nuclear fuel for as long as it is legally possible, which deputy economy minister Vladimir Shimoniak reportedly confirmed. Vesti.ru (propaganda media) presents these claims from Moscow's perspective, so they should be treated as propaganda (Фицо: Словакия может оспорить в суде ЕС запрет на нефть из России – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)).

According to Vesti.ru (propaganda media), a Russian state portal, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico claims that some EU leaders are trying to blackmail Bratislava over a €70 billion loan for Ukraine, threatening cuts to cohesion policy funds. Fico is reported to have responded that Slovakia is using its right of veto. Vesti.ru (propaganda media) recalls that, besides Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Czech Republic also refused to take part in the loan. This is Kremlin propaganda, not an established fact. (Фицо рассказал о шантаже Словакии из-за позиции по финансированию Украины – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)) Vesti.ru (propaganda media) writes that Fico assessed agreeing on the new seven-year EU budget as very difficult, because member states are more preoccupied with their own problems, and large net contributors do not want to increase payments, while smaller countries demand the preservation of cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy (Фицо заявил, что согласовать новый бюджет ЕС будет очень сложно – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)).

Vesti.ru (propaganda media) conveys a statement by Elon Musk according to which Starlink's throughput is to increase 100-fold within two to three years thanks to next-generation satellites; currently about 11 thousand satellites are said to orbit, mainly the V2 version, and the V3 version is to be more than ten times more efficient. The Russian service also reports that SpaceX and Tesla shares fell by 15% after the US midterm elections, which, according to Business Insider, is linked to investors' concerns about pressure from a Congress controlled by Democrats. It should be kept in mind that this is propaganda from Kremlin media, and the cited data have not been verified here (Маск: пропускная способность сети Starlink увеличится в 100 раз – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)).

The Russian state Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that during the night in Crimea a power bank exploded in a wardrobe in a child's room, without causing a fire. According to an account citing the Regnum agency, the device was not charging at the time and was not connected to a phone, and the bang woke a child, who called adults. Vesti.ru (propaganda media) also quotes a resident who advises checking chargers and not using damaged ones. (Взрыв пауэбанка произошел ночью в шкафу с вещами в Крыму – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian portal Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that the head of the French right-wing party Patriots, Florian Philippot, in a speech posted on YouTube, accuses EU authorities of scaring Europeans with Russia in order to make them obedient. According to Vesti.ru (propaganda media), Philippot claims that European governments, at the urging of the EU leadership, frighten citizens with war with Russia and with threats such as terrorist attacks, cyberattacks or epidemics. This is Kremlin propaganda, which cannot be treated as an established fact. (Брюссель пугает европейцев Россией, чтобы сделать их послушными, заявил Филиппо – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian portal Vesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that a Ukrainian citizen was given a suspended sentence in Slovakia for a false bomb report at a Svetlana Loboda concert in Košice, which took place at the end of October. According to Vesti.ru (propaganda media), citing the Slovak daily Korzár, the 35-year-old woman, who lives in Italy, after an unsuccessful attempt to enter the concert, returned to her hotel, drank alcohol and called the police, reporting a bomb. Kremlin propaganda in Vesti.ru (propaganda media) stresses that the report came after the performance had already ended, so no evacuation was needed, and a search of the stadium revealed no suspicious objects (Нетрезвая гражданка Украины "заминировала" концерт Лободы в Словакии – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)).

Czytaj także

• What others write about Slovakia – 6 November 2026
• What others write about Slovakia – 29 October 2026
• What others write about Slovakia – 26 October 2026