With increasing number of war crimes the image of Russia in Slovakia is slowly being changed from a “Slavic brother” to an aggressor.
The positive perception of Vladimir Putin dropped the most among the respondents older than 65 years, from 56% to 20%. 66% also think that war in Ukraine is “an unprovoked and unjustifiable Russian military aggression.” Invasion of Ukraine by Russia might have brought back the memories of the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact countries for the older generations. In addition, 65% of respondents agreed with the statement that “President Putin wants to restore the Russian Empire, therefore he is a threat not only to Ukraine but also to other countries.” With the war in Ukraine, the positive perception of Vladimir Putin has dropped from 55% in March 2021 to 28% in March 2022. Response collected during the focus group discussions in March 2021 in Slovakia on a question to: “Name a person or leader who offers real solutions to today's problems, whether in our country or beyond.” Thanks to him, there was no war here for a long time, he would not be vexed by various American provocations - military actions already during Obama’s, and he resisted with prudence and calmness.” (English teacher, 56 years) “Only Putin out of the politicians I know. Putin has been perceived by many as a “pillar of stability” in the in tumultuous world and protector of ordinary people and traditional values. President Vladimir Putin’s image and his public approval among Slovaks was increasing in the past years. The positive perception of Vladimir Putin decreased significantly According to the latest GLOBSEC public opinion poll, several changes in public attitudes are possible to observe among Slovaks.
The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has, however, opened the eyes of many Slovaks. At the same time, since Russia’s annexation of Crimea intense information operations and increasing number of domestic actors have been peddling the Kremlin’s propaganda in the country. As a result, 78% of Slovaks perceived Russia as their traditional Slavic brother nation still in 2020. Part of those vulnerabilities date back to the 19 th century but also to further political forces of 20 th century trying to position Slovakia as a “bridge” between East and West. For many years Slovakia has been vulnerable towards the Kremlin’s propaganda and information operations.
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