BRATISLAVA, January 31. /TASS/. The paramilitary group known as the Georgian National Legion (recognized as a terrorist organization and outlawed in Russia), which has ties to Ukrainian intelligence, is orchestrating the anti-government protests in Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said at a press conference.
"The Georgian National Legion, along with the opposition, is responsible for the protests," the online portal pravda.sk reported, quoting Fico. "The protest organizers were tasked with inciting clashes with security forces," the prime minister stated, accusing Mamuka Mamulashvili, the leader of the Georgian National Legion, of organizing the demonstrations.
In late January, large-scale anti-government protests erupted in more than 30 cities across Slovakia, with approximately 60,000 people demonstrating in Bratislava.
On November 26, 2024, a Russian court sentenced Mamulashvili to 23 years in prison in absentia. The investigation and trial concluded that between 2014 and 2015, he established the Georgian National Legion paramilitary group with backing from Ukraine’s political leadership. Mamulashvili fought alongside Ukrainian security forces, acting as a mercenary in combat operations against military personnel of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and the Russian Armed Forces.