Tens of thousands of people gathered in dozens cities and towns across Slovakia as vocal protests against pro-Russian policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico intensified.

Tens of thousands of Slovaks protested against Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government in more than 40 cities Friday, seeking to defend the country’s pro-European alignment.

The weekly protests have come on the heels of a recent trip to Moscow by Fico, one of the few leaders of a European Union (EU) country to visit Russia since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Robert Fico has said that Slovakia’s foreign policy orientation could involve leaving the European Union and Nato.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected protesters' calls for his resignation on Saturday after tens of thousands demonstrated against his government's policy shift closer to Russia.

Protests against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government have resumed on Friday, 7 February, in dozens of cities across Slovakia and abroad. Source: Slovak newspaper Aktuality, as reported by European Pravda Details: Demonstrations are taking place in more than 50 cities.