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Slovakia is expecting another wave of mass protests a month after the assassination of a journalist who was investigating links between politicians and criminal gangs like Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta. The demonstrations have already led to the resignation of the country's prime minister.

Why it matters: Jan Kuciak, a 27-year-old investigative journalist with Aktuality.sk, was murdered along with his girlfriend while working on an in-depth investigation into the infiltration of the ‘Ndrangheta, one of the world’s most powerful criminal groups, into Slovakia and the neighboring Czech Republic. What has followed is the biggest display of public anger in Slovakia since the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

The big picture: Since joining the EU in 2004, Slovakia and other former communist states in Central Europe have made huge economic strides. Unfortunately, there have not been commensurate improvements in democratic standards, transparency and civil society, leaving these vulnerable young democracies open to organized crime and political corruption. 

Kuciak's final piece of unfinished reporting was published on February 28. Titled “The Model, the Mafia, and the Murderers”, it detailed an investigation into Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico’s hiring of topless model Maria Troskova as one of his assistants, and Troskova's business ties to Antonino Vadala, 42, an Italian living in Slovakia who allegedly has close ties to the ’Ndrangheta.

Organizers of the protests, the ‘For a Decent Slovakia’ initiative, have called for a fourth Friday in a row of national protest.

On March 20, Slovakia's president, Andrej Kiska, rejected the proposed cabinet makeup from Fico’s designated successor, Peter Pellegrini. Kiska argued that more radical changes would be needed to satisfy the public’s anger and asked Pellegrini to submit a new list of names by March 23.

Kiska particularly singled out Pellegrini’s choice of interior minister, Josef Raz, who is the son of a popular rock singer and a night club owner in the capital Bratislava. Kiska hinted he would only accept an interior minister with no ties to Fico’s Smer-SD party. 

Go deeper Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland and the Baltic states are on the EU’s front line with an increasingly assertive Russia, which is attempting to destabilize and weaken Europe through a hybrid war of corrupting politicians, interfering in elections, funding violent extremist groups, disseminating fake news and hacking. 

Read more about the Kremlin’s strategic deployment of corruption in Central Europe here.

Slovakia's political turmoil rumbles on month after journalist's assassination

Another wave of mass protests in a movement that has already brought down the PM

Protesters, one carrying an "all for Jan" sign, march in Bratislava. Photo: VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP/Getty Images

World

Eastern Europe

Slovakia is expecting another wave of mass protests a month after the assassination of a journalist who was investigating links between politicians and criminal gangs like Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta. The demonstrations have already led to the resignation of the country&#x27;s prime minister.Why it matters: Jan Kuciak, a 27-year-old investigative journalist with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Aktuality.sk" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aktuality.sk/" data-vars-content-id="26177556-652e-4352-81af-dd70b35a5556" data-vars-headline="Slovakia&#x27;s political turmoil rumbles on month after journalist&#x27;s assassination" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aktuality.sk/" target="_blank">Aktuality.sk</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="was murdered along with his girlfriend" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/death-of-slovak-journalist-1519665706-7656ecd7-dec4-482f-b5af-cfc897b9f18b.html" data-vars-content-id="26177556-652e-4352-81af-dd70b35a5556" data-vars-headline="Slovakia&#x27;s political turmoil rumbles on month after journalist&#x27;s assassination" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/death-of-slovak-journalist-1519665706-7656ecd7-dec4-482f-b5af-cfc897b9f18b.html" target="_self">was murdered along with his girlfriend</a> while working on an in-depth investigation into the infiltration of the ‘Ndrangheta, one of the world’s most powerful criminal groups, into Slovakia and the neighboring Czech Republic. What has followed is the biggest display of public anger in Slovakia since the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

The final piece of unfinished reporting from a Slovakian journalist who was assassinated, apparently for his work exposing corruption, was published Wednesday by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and his outlet, Aktuality.sk. Jan Kuciak was working on an in-depth investigation into Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta, one of the world’s most powerful criminal groups, and their infiltration into Slovakia and next-door Czech Republic.

Why it matters: Slovakia’s vulnerability to organized crime has become of increasing concern to the European Union — particularly the connivance of politicians in large-scale fraud as well as the defaming of journalists trying to investigate such activities.

Kuciak’s last unfinished story before he was shot dead along with his girlfriend in their apartment over the weekend was titled “The Model, the Mafia, and the Murderers”.

It detailed an investigation into Slovakian PM Fico’s hiring of topless model Mária Trošková as one of his assistants, and Trošková's business ties to Antonino Vadala, 42, an Italian living in Slovakia with allegedly close ties to the ’Ndrangheta.

PM Fico has been criticized for holding a press conference on Tuesday, where he stood by piles of banknotes worth €1 million — the reward the government is promising for information about the killings. "Do not link innocent people without any evidence to a double homicide," he said, criticizing the opposition and the media.

Slovak Police President Tibor Gaspar said the authorities had questioned 20 people since Monday and contacted the Czech Republic and Italy about the investigation. 

The Czech reporter working out of Prague with Kuciak, Pavla Holcová, of the Czech Center for Investigative Journalism, is now under police protection.

Press freedom is falling in Slovakia, where oligarchs now own much of the media and politicians have taken steps to weaken the press. The situation for journalists working elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe has deteriorated over the last few years as well.

Top politicians in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic have been criticized for their comments regarding journalists. Czech President Milos Zeman has made repeated ‘jokes’ about how reporters should be killed and Fico in November 2016 described several journalists as “filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes” after being quizzed about a corruption cases.

Last report from slain Slovak journalist alleges government-mafia links

People hold placards during a silent protest march in memory of murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova in Bratislava. Photo: VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP/Getty Images

The final <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="piece of unfinished reporting" data-vars-click-url="https://www.occrp.org/en/amurderedjournalistslastinvestigation/" data-vars-content-id="353956df-0d74-45d9-a42c-736bbee33c23" data-vars-headline="Last report from slain Slovak journalist alleges government-mafia links" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.occrp.org/en/amurderedjournalistslastinvestigation/" target="_blank">piece of unfinished reporting</a> from a Slovakian journalist who was assassinated, apparently for his work exposing corruption, was published Wednesday by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project" data-vars-click-url="https://www.occrp.org/en" data-vars-content-id="353956df-0d74-45d9-a42c-736bbee33c23" data-vars-headline="Last report from slain Slovak journalist alleges government-mafia links" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.occrp.org/en" target="_blank">Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project</a> (OCCRP) and his outlet, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Aktuality.sk" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aktuality.sk/" data-vars-content-id="353956df-0d74-45d9-a42c-736bbee33c23" data-vars-headline="Last report from slain Slovak journalist alleges government-mafia links" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aktuality.sk/" target="_blank">Aktuality.sk</a>. Jan Kuciak was working on an in-depth investigation into Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta, one of the world’s most powerful criminal groups, and their infiltration into Slovakia and next-door Czech Republic.Why it matters: Slovakia’s vulnerability to organized crime has become of increasing concern to the European Union — particularly the connivance of politicians in large-scale fraud as well as the defaming of journalists trying to investigate such activities.

Tensions between the United States and Russia look set to escalate as Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, has announced that he expects sophisticated weaponry from the US, including Javelin anti-tank missiles as well as heavy sniper rifles, to start arriving “in a very few weeks”.

Why it matters: The decision in December by the US government to provide Ukraine with “enhanced defensive capabilities” for the conflict in the east of the country against pro-Russian separatists could destabilize the shaky ceasefire that currently exists. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in September that any decision by the US to supply defensive weapons to Ukraine could reignite the conflict.

The backdrop: Ukraine has been battling pro-Russian separatists, backed by Russian personnel and materiel, in the east of the country since April 2014, following Russia’s invasion and annexation of the Crimean peninsula. Moscow has fomented the conflict in Ukraine in an attempt to halt the westward drift of the country, which many Russians consider an historic part of the Russian Federation.

Ukraine has repeatedly requested weapons from NATO to help its depleted military defend itself against the well-armed pro-Russian militias, but the alliance worried such a move would fuel the conflict. Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain, though, have pushed for more aggressive steps to confront Russia in Ukraine.

There have been dozens of ceasefires agreed since the start of the conflict, which has seen more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, killed. The latest ceasefire saw violations decline during the Christmas and New Year period, though they flared up again during February.

After repeated violations of the latest ceasefire by the pro-Russian separatists, the US State Department on December 23 announced the government would provide assistance “entirely defensive in nature” to help Ukraine defend its territorial integrity and “deter further aggression”.

The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine is preparing a new truce, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on February 28.

At a press conference on February 28, President Poroshenko said there would be a number of different US weapon deliveries, with the first to take place in several weeks, “starting with the anti-sniper devices, because many Ukrainian soldiers were killed by Russian snipers”. Other weapons expected include tools for electronic warfare and air defense.

Poroshenko claimed, “the risk posed by Russia’s wide-scale war against Ukraine is decreasing thanks to the strengthening of Ukraine’s armed forces and continuing sanctions against Russia”.

Poroshenko also said a recently adopted Ukrainian law on reintegration of the territories controlled by the pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions supports a diplomatic solution to the conflict and the deployment of UN peacekeepers to the region.

Go deeper: Putin says Russia has tested "invincible" new weapon.

Putin says Russia has tested "invincible" new weapon

Ukraine expects U.S. weaponry within "weeks,” raising Russia tensions

Putin had warned the U.S. not to supply Ukraine with weapons

President Poroshenko (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last year in Washington. Photo:  Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Ukraine

Suspicions of poison and warnings to Russia over double agent's illness

This is not the first such case on British soil

Salisbury Cathedral early this morning, two days after Skripal was found unconscious. Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Russia

U.K. counter-terror police have taken over the investigation into how former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia became critically ill after exposure to a suspected toxic substance, with the government warning on Tuesday of “harsh consequences” if any state, including Russia, is found to be involved.Why it matters: Russia is already under mounting pressure over rising evidence of the hybrid war — which includes cyberwarfare, disinformation, targeted assassinations and support for proxies fighting wars abroad — that it is waging against the West. If the Kremlin is found to be involved in the poisoning of the former spy on U.K. soil, the British government pledged to explore further sanctions on Russia, on top of those already being applied by the U.S. and the E.U. for the annexation of Crimea and fomenting of conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikan appears to be leaning toward extraditing Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin to the United States rather than Russia, after telling parliament he will base his decision on where the most severe crimes were committed and which side requested his extradition first. Both criteria point to the U.S. 

Why it matters: Nikulin is the centre of a tug-of-war between the U.S. and Russia after he was picked up by the Czech authorities in Prague in October 2016 on an international arrest warrant tied to the hacking of social networks including LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring. However, the U.S. authorities believe he may also have information about Russian state-sponsored cyber activities — a view politicians and analysts say is supported by Russia’s desperate attempts to have him sent back home.

Pelikan has the final say on Nikulin’s extradition. Russia also wants Nikulin extradited, nominally for the theft of $1,955 via Webmoney in 2009.

Pelikan also confirmed to MPs that pro-Russian President Milos Zeman had asked him to extradite Nikulin to Russia. “He asked me repeatedly and vehemently. I listened to it and presented my stance to the president, which I am not going to interpret here,” Pelikan told parliament.

MP Miroslava Nemcova, who asked Pelikan questions in parliament, said of Russia’s attempts to have Nikulin sent to Moscow: “They want to get him in Russia because I think they are rightly afraid that the Americans would get him and ask him things that would not be good for Russia.”

Nikulin faces a maximum 30 years in prison and up to $1m in fines if convicted on charges listed in an indictment from a federal court in Oakland, California, which include computer intrusion, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy, damaging computers and trafficking in illegal access devices.

U.S. seems to be winning tug of war with Russia over hacker's extradition

Both countries want the hacker extradited from the Czech Republic

Photo: Sergei Konkov\TASS via Getty Images

Computer hacking

Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikan appears to be leaning toward extraditing Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin to the United States rather than Russia, after telling parliament he will base his decision on where the most severe crimes were committed and which side requested his extradition first. Both criteria point to the U.S. Why it matters: Nikulin is the centre of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tug-of-war" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/russia-utilizes-czech-president-in-desperate-bid-to-prevent-russian-hackers-us-extradition-1518797066-99266b1f-0f32-4d20-a33a-027adf35c471.html" data-vars-content-id="da70f241-4fca-4b7e-b20c-618b3db97a1a" data-vars-headline="U.S. seems to be winning tug of war with Russia over hacker&#x27;s extradition" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/russia-utilizes-czech-president-in-desperate-bid-to-prevent-russian-hackers-us-extradition-1518797066-99266b1f-0f32-4d20-a33a-027adf35c471.html" target="_self">tug-of-war</a> between the U.S. and Russia after he was picked up by the Czech authorities in Prague in October 2016 on an international arrest warrant tied to the hacking of social networks including LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring. However, the U.S. authorities believe he may also have information about Russian state-sponsored cyber activities — a view politicians and analysts say is supported by Russia’s desperate attempts to have him sent back home.

Nicholas Watson, journalist in Prague

Stories

Slovakia's political turmoil rumbles on month after journalist's assassination

Suspicions of poison and warnings to Russia over double agent's illness

U.S. seems to be winning tug of war with Russia over hacker's extradition

Ukraine expects U.S. weaponry within "weeks,” raising Russia tensions

Last report from slain Slovak journalist alleges government-mafia links