GUNNED DOWN Slovakia Prime Minister SHOT: Pro-Putin leader Robert Fico fighting for life after assassination attempt
SLOVAKIA'S pro-Putin prime minister Robert Fico has been shot in the stomach in a "brutal and ruthless" assassination attempt.
The politician, 59, is now in a life-threatening condition in hospital after he was attacked leaving a government meeting.
In what has been confirmed as an assassination attempt, Fico has been left fighting for his life after being shot multiple times.
One bullet hit the populist leader in abdomen.
The incident took place in in the town of Handlova, some 100 miles northeast of the capital of Bratislava, where the PM had come to meet with supporters.
A witness told news outlet Dennik N that she heard three to four shots and saw Fico fall to the ground with wounds to his head and chest.Dramatic footage showed Fico being carried and then bungled into a car, flanked by his bodyguards, and driven away at speed.
Moments later the suspected assassin was filmed being overpowered and detained by security forces and bystanders.
After receiving "urgent" treatment in Handlova, the PM was then airlifted to Banska Bystrica as it would take "too long" to get to the capital, a government spokesperson said.
The motive behind the shooting is not yet known.The suspect is said to be a 71-year-old Slovakian from the town of Lavice, Kyiv Post reports.
President Zuzana Caputova has condemned the "brutal and ruthless" attack on the premier.
"I am shocked. I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack," she said.
Who is Slovakian PM Robert Fico?
By Ellie Doughty
SLOVAKIAN prime minister Robert Fico won his country’s elections in September 2023 on a platform of pro-Russian and anti-Western sentiment.
It was his fourth term as prime minister leading the divisive Smer - meaning “Direction” - party.
The controversial leader, whose policies have been met with country-wide protests, is a supporter of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin.
In January 2024 he said the only way to end the Ukraine war would be for Zelensky’s brave forces to give some of their land to Russian invaders.
He has also opposed Nato membership for Ukraine and said the nation is “not an independent and sovereign country”.
Fico said at the time: “What do they expect, that the Russians will leave Crimea, Donbas and Luhansk? That's unrealistic."
Before taking power in December, he promised to stop sending weapons to Ukraine.
He also assured voters he would block any attempts by Kyiv to join Nato and would oppose sanctions against Russia.
In a shocking claim, Fico said Ukraine joining the European military alliance would be “a basis for World War III, nothing else”.
Sickeningly, Fico has claimed that Ukraine - which has been fighting off Russia’s illegal invasion for more than two years - is “one of the most corrupt nations in the world”.
In stark contrast to the war-ravaged experiences of countless Ukrainians, Fico once claimed: “there’s no war in Kyiv,” describing life in the capital as “absolutely normal.”
He has also vowed to enforce a strict stance against migration, NGOs and has campaigned against the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Notorious for tirades against journalists, Fico has previously dubbed a major television network, two national newspapers and an online news outlet as his “enemies”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "shocked" by the "awful news" that Slovakian counterpart had been shot.
"All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family," he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the shooting on his neighbouring state's leader as "appalling".
He said: "Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere.
Fico returned to power in Slovakia last September at the head of a populist-nationalist coalition.
His first few months as prime minister have proved controversial.
In January he halted military aid to Ukraine, insisting life in Kyiv was "absolutely normal" and there was no war.
He asked: "You seriously think there is war in Kyiv? You are joking, please, I hope you are not being serious.
"Go there and you will find out there is normal life in the city, absolutely normal life."
Fico's campaign call of "Not a single round" for Ukraine appealed to voters in the Nato nation of 5.5million where only a minority believe Russia is at fault for the Ukraine war.
During a three-decade career, Fico has weaved between pro-European mainstream to nationalistic anti-Nato and anti-American positions.
Yet, for the last few years he has embraced a more extreme position, appealing to a growing anti-western and pro-Russian sentiment in his country.Pro-Russian Fico, who analysts see inspired by Hungary's Viktor Orban, has said he has Slovak interests at heart and wants the war to end.
Western allies and Ukraine say halting military aid to Kyiv would only help Russia.
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