After Prime Minister Robert Fico alleged there were plans to escalate anti-government protests into an attempted coup, Slovaks took the streets in over 20 cities to peacefully protest the government's pro-Russia policy.

There will be more and more of us. Those who want to live in our little Slovakia, but in a civilized Europe,” said Eva Kulová, 84, who helped topple Communism.

Tens of thousands of protesters thronged a central square in the Slovak capital on Friday, waving banners opposing Prime Minister Robert Fico's policy shift closer to Russia, after tensions between the government and the opposition rose.

Tens of thousands protested in Slovakia's capital against PM Robert Fico's pro-Russia policies, matching previous mass demonstrations. The opposition initiated a no-confidence vote. Fico accused foreign interference but lacked evidence.

The latest wave of rallies was fuelled by Fico’s recent trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, a rare visit to the Kremlin by an EU leader since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. View on