Tens of thousands of people across Slovakia have taken to the streets to protest against the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, defying his warnings of potential violence and coup attempts. These protests, held in over 25 towns and cities, are part of an ongoing series of demonstrations against Fico's populist-nationalist coalition. Protesters are frustrated with Fico's perceived undermining of the country's institutions, culture, and position within the EU and NATO, as well as his increasing criticism of Ukraine and growing ties with Moscow.

According to the local newspaper Dennik N, an estimated 100,000 people attended the protests, with at least 40,000 in the capital alone. The demonstrations remained peaceful, contrary to Fico's warnings of potential violence and disorder. Fico has accused the opposition of collaborating with foreign "instructors" to overthrow his government and claimed that the intelligence services have evidence of foreign provocateurs involved in the protests. However, the opposition has little trust in the intelligence services, which are managed by the son of an MP from Fico's Smer party.

Fico has also accused the opposition and foreign NGOs of orchestrating a "large-scale" cyber attack on the country's health insurer. Nonetheless, Dennik N later reported that the incident was actually a phishing attempt rather than a significant cyber attack, and it was not particularly large in scale. Slovak officials have also suggested that a previous cyber attack on the country's land registry may have originated from Ukraine, but Kyiv has denied these accusations.

The protests against Fico's government pose a significant challenge to his leadership and come amid increasing concern over his administration's stance on Ukraine and Russia. Fico has denied opposition claims that he intends to withdraw Slovakia from the EU and NATO, but his growing criticism of Ukraine and his closer relations with Moscow have raised alarms about the country's future direction. It seems likely that the protests will continue, presenting a major test for Fico's leadership and the stability of his government.