Fico accuses Ukraine of being involved in 'massive cyberattack' on Slovakia. MFA responds
Photo: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Getty Images)
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that the country's national insurance company was hit by a "massive cyberattack," allegedly involving Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the accusations, according to Dennik N and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fico's accusations
At an urgent press conference on January 24, Fico spoke about a cyberattack that began at noon, which aimed to obtain "confidential information about diagnoses."
"If successful, it would prevent the provision of medical assistance in Slovakia. As of now, we are successfully repelling the attack, but we cannot fully assess what will happen in the coming minutes and hours," he said.
The Slovak Prime Minister described the cyberattack as "part of a textbook example of how recalcitrant governments with differing views on certain issues are eliminated" and blamed Ukraine for the attack.
According to Fico, "This activity is carried out by opposition leaders, non-governmental organizations, organized foreign states, foreign instructors, and media outlets."
Response from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically rejected any insinuations regarding Ukraine's involvement in the cyberattack against the medical insurance company in Slovakia.
"Once again, we call on Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to stop looking for imaginary enemies in Ukraine, which is friendly to Slovakia and the Slovak people," the ministry emphasized.
Fico's threats
Ukraine has refused to continue the transit of Russian gas to Europe after January 1, 2025. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine could transport gas to EU countries, but only if the gas is not Russian.
At the same time, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is trying to continue the transit. In December, he traveled to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Additionally, Fico threatened to stop supplying electricity to Ukraine in response to Ukraine's refusal of gas transit.
Fico has repeatedly stated that he wants to meet with President Zelenskyy. He even invited him to meet at the Slovak-Ukrainian border. Zelenskyy, in turn, invited Fico to Kyiv. However, the meeting never took place.
