This article presents an expert opinion based on an interview with a veteran officer of Slovakia’s SIS civilian intelligence service, offering sharp criticism of Prime Minister Robert Fico for consolidating excessive power and exerting political control over the country’s intelligence leadership.
The Slovak Information Service (SIS) is the country’s primary civilian intelligence and counterintelligence agency. By law, it reports directly to the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic — currently Robert Fico.
According to Juraj Kulik, a retired colonel and former director of the National Security and Analytical Center (NBAC) within SIS, the agency has been pulled into domestic political battles under its current leadership. Kulik argues that SIS has become entangled in conflicts between the ruling coalition and the opposition, most visibly during the recent controversy surrounding the alleged “preparation of a coup d’état.”
Who is Pavol Gašpar?
The current director of SIS, Pavol Gašpar, is the son of Tibor Gašpar, the former president of Slovakia’s Police Presidium. Tibor Gašpar is currently under criminal investigation in connection with allegations of corruption and abuse of power during his tenure in law enforcement.
Investigative journalists have reported that Tibor Gašpar effectively transferred operational control of the police to the Bödör oligarch network, based primarily in the Nitra region and linked to the private security firm Bonul.
Under the previous government (now in opposition), Tibor Gašpar left the police force with the rank of general and later joined the SMER-SD party. He currently serves as Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament.
Initially, SMER-SD reportedly sought to appoint Tibor Gašpar himself as head of SIS. Legal constraints arising from the ongoing investigation made this impossible. The party then turned to his son, Pavol Gašpar, as an alternative.
Pavol Gašpar is a controversial figure, known publicly for abrasive behavior and displays of personal wealth. He has drawn attention for prominent tattoos — one depicting his father, another featuring the protagonist of The Godfather. Shortly after assuming leadership of SIS, he appeared in media reports following a traffic accident involving a Dodge Hellcat, which he was driving while wearing casual beachwear and flip-flops.
“This is a road to hell”: inside SIS under political pressure
In an interview for the Disinforeport podcast produced by infosecurity.sk, Kulik described what he sees as a steady institutional collapse of SIS since the fourth Fico government came to power two years ago.
“This is a road to hell,” Kulik said. “By its very nature, SIS must remain strictly apolitical. For its director, this is not optional — it is a direct legal obligation.”
A career intelligence officer with over 22 years of service, Kulik detailed what he characterizes as growing politicization, internal pressure, and the marginalization of professionals unwilling to align with ruling-party interests.
The Russian threat: a strategic blind spot
Kulik stressed that the internal crisis at SIS coincides with a dangerous failure to confront Russia’s hybrid activities in Slovakia.
A substantial body of publicly available evidence indicates that Russia operates not only through disinformation campaigns, but also via systematic influence over political, social, and economic elites. Academic researchers, whistleblowers, military analysts, and international experts broadly agree on the scale of this challenge.
“The situation is profoundly serious,” Kulik warned. “As a state, we have effectively abandoned a coherent strategy to counter hybrid threats or build societal resilience — regardless of where those threats originate.”
One example is Slovakia’s Security Council Committee on Hybrid Threats, which exists largely on paper and has yet to become operational. Constitutional law experts have repeatedly argued that making this body functional is not merely advisable, but constitutionally necessary.
Read also: #BabakovLeaks: former Slovak Prime Minister Fico and the Russian gas needle
Kulik emphasized that Russia has, for several years, conducted both military and non-military operations against the collective West, including Slovakia, within the so-called ‘gray zone’ of hybrid warfare — actions designed to maintain plausible deniability.
While diplomatic channels must remain open, he argued, this cannot excuse the state’s failure to strengthen domestic resilience amid Slovakia’s deep political polarization.
“Coup” allegations and legal violations
Kulik also addressed the high-profile case involving allegations of an attempted coup d’état earlier this year. The controversy erupted after Prime Minister Fico cited a classified SIS report claiming that Slovakia faced an organized coup allegedly planned by foreign activists connected to opposition groups and protest organizers — including, according to SIS, figures linked to the Georgian National Legion and its commander Mamuka Mamulashvili.
In his interview, Kulik stated that SIS may have violated the law by publicly admitting that some of the information was obtained through wiretapping — the use of eavesdropping and surveillance tools that legally require court warrant.
Slovak law explicitly prohibits SIS from disclosing the use of such methods. Kulik also noted serious legal concerns regarding the handling of personal data derived from such surveillance.
Intelligence in the service of politics
Kulik has publicly accused the current SIS leadership of systematically politicizing the service and targeting employees who refuse to align with SMER-SD–appointed officials. According to him, SIS is increasingly serving partisan political interests rather than fulfilling its mandate to protect national security.
The full interview with Juraj Kulik is available as a podcast.
The editorial board of the InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community has published this material in its Opinion section. Notably, the initiative to bring these concerns to international attention originated from Slovak intelligence officers themselves. Veterans of SIS, Kulik among them, warn of a growing risk of power usurpation by Prime Minister Robert Fico. His openly conciliatory stance toward Moscow, they argue, undermines not only Slovakia’s national interests but also those of its European partners.
The post Slovakia’s intelligence service under Gašpar: a veteran warns of politicization, institutional decline, and ignored Russian threats appeared first on InformNapalm.org (English).
