“Hiding behind golden curtains”: Robert Fico was found after he disappeared from public space
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has not appeared in public for more than two weeks – since his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 22, 2024, was found by journalists in Vietnam. It turned out that the politician was in a luxury hotel in Hanoi, from which he recorded his video messages. This news caused serious criticism from the opposition and society.
Slovak newspaper Diary of N was able to locate the prime minister thanks to an attentive reader who recognized the interior of a suite at the Capella Hotel Hanoi in a video posted by Fico. Hungarian investigative journalist Sabolc Panyi compared the Prime Minister’s video message with a 3D visualization of the hotel rooms and confirmed that Fico was there.
“The Prime Minister was found, he is hiding behind the golden curtains”, – writes the publication.
Interestingly, one night in such apartments costs 5,740 euros. The official salary of the prime minister of Slovakia is 11,200 euros per month, which raised further questions about the financing of this vacation.
When journalists contacted the hotel administration to confirm the fact of Fico’s stay, their call was forwarded to the politician’s number, but he was not there at the time.
The office of the President of Slovakia reported that the prime minister is on vacation. However, no details were provided regarding the financing of this vacation. Fico’s private trips were not previously widely known, but this one drew strong criticism from opponents. The leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia party, Michal Šimečko, criticized the prime minister for his absence from the country during the economic crisis, when Slovaks face rising taxes and the cost of living.
It will be recalled that on December 22, the mass media reported that Robert Fico had arrived in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. The prime minister of Slovakia said that he had warned the EU leadership about this visit, and its purpose was to discuss Ukraine’s refusal to continue the transit of Russian gas through its territory to Slovakia.
On December 27, Fico threatened to stop the supply of electricity to Ukraine from January 1, 2025, if Kyiv does not restore transit. However, Ukraine remained on its position, and the transit was stopped.
In the period from the end of December 2024 to the beginning of January 2025, the Prime Minister limited his presence in the public space only to video messages in which he expressed claims to Ukraine.
Fico’s disappearance and his pro-Russian rhetoric caused a wave of outrage in Slovakia. Mass protests took place in the country’s capital, Bratislava. Thousands of people took to the streets with banners that read: “Slovakians, beware, the occupation has begun!” and “Fizo, go to Moscow, give Slovakia peace!”. The protesters expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s pro-Russian policy.
