Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for his pro-Russian actions amid the ongoing RUsso-Ukrainian war, has accused Lucia Stasselova, a 66-year-old grandmother and former charity worker, of plotting to overthrow his government, citing her photograph with Ukraine’s Georgian military commander as alleged evidence.
The New York Times reports that Stasselova, who runs the pro-Ukraine group Peace for Ukraine, met Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of the Georgian Legion fighting in Ukraine, two years ago during his visit to Bratislava for a public discussion about the war.
“He was a hero to me,” Stasselova told reporters at her home near Bratislava. “Everyone wanted a picture with him. I was very happy to get one.”
At a recent news conference, Fico displayed an enlarged copy of the photograph from Stasselova’s Facebook page, presenting it as proof of her involvement in an alleged coup conspiracy.
Stasselova, a mother of five with 13 grandchildren and founder of the Foundation for the Children of Slovakia, said the meeting with the commander was “the first and last time” she had met him. She noted her children’s charity never received funding from USAID, though it did receive support from the private W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
“But for Mr. Fico, she fits a sinister profile: She is anti-Russia and pro-Europe, and has a long record of involvement in nongovernmental organizations,” NYT noted.
Opposition leader Michal Šimečka, whom Fico also named as a conspirator, called the accusations “utterly baffling.” Simecka told reporters he aimed to defeat Fico through elections, not violence. The allegations emerged after Šimečka called for a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Fico responded by demanding a closed-door session to review alleged intelligence about an imminent coup.
Peace for Ukraine, which previously raised $680,000 for an armored demining vehicle, has organized growing protests against Fico’s pro-Moscow stance. Recent rallies in Bratislava have drawn up to 40,000 people, with demonstrators gathering under the slogan “Slovakia is Europe.”
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