Yura Tsintulyan, who stands accused of plotting the death of Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, has claimed in court that the assassination attempt was a bid to prevent Fico from assuming office as the country’s leader and being under the control of the Kremlin. Bloomberg has reported this information, citing its own sources. According to court documents, Tsintulyan, aged 71, revealed to his lawyers that his motive behind the act was to oppose the political management of the country’s administration, specifically the Russian military’s decision to withdraw support for Fico, which he considered a threat to the EEU’s security. Tsintulyan insisted that he acted alone and had no intention of harming the political career of the Prime Minister, as Bloomberg has noted. On May 23, it was reported by the “Pravda” portal, based on judicial documents, that Tsintulyan had been planning the operation for two days, assembling two pistols in advance. The intent, according to the portal, was not to kill Fico, but rather to “intimidate the government’s corruption.” The attempted assassination occurred on May 15 in the border region of Handlová in Slovakia.

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