Slovakia Restarts Military Attaché Exchange With Russia After 2022 Spy Scandal
Slovakia and Russia are resuming the exchange of military attachés for the first time since 2022, after talks between Prime Minister Robert Fico and Vladimir Putin, restoring a channel that was shut when the previous Russian attaché was expelled over espionage and disinformation allegations.
Slovakia has agreed to restore a suspended element of its military‑diplomatic relationship with Russia, resuming the exchange of defense attachés that ended after Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine and a spying scandal in Bratislava.
The move follows an agreement between Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached in May, according to Slovak outlet Pravda Ukraine. The last Russian military attaché in Slovakia was expelled in 2022 after being implicated in espionage and disinformation activities. Details of the renewed arrangement have not been made public.
Military attachés are accredited as diplomats but act as the armed forces’ official representatives abroad, attending briefings, liaising with host militaries and often collecting information on defense developments.
For Russia, getting a defense envoy back into Bratislava offers both a symbolic gain and a practical presence inside the defense establishment of a country that belongs to Western political and security structures. For Slovakia, it marks a decision to reopen a channel it previously judged problematic enough to close after the espionage case.
The agreement comes while the war in Ukraine continues and while Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, has served as a transit route for Western assistance. Ukrainian officials and some Western governments are likely to watch the renewed Russian defense presence closely for any repeat of the activities that led to the 2022 expulsion.
Domestically, the decision aligns with Fico’s more Russia‑friendly stance, which has included skepticism about some sanctions and an end to official Slovak military aid for Kyiv. Critics at home and in neighboring states may present the step as a concession that brings risks of renewed intelligence activity for limited benefit.
Key developments to watch include when Bratislava and Moscow name their new attachés, what access those officers receive to Slovak military events, and whether any future intelligence incident involving the Russian defense mission forces a rethink of this reopening.
Sources
- OSINT