Welcome to your weekly commentary and overview of news from Slovakia. This week, a special issue with a last-minute Slovak language mini-lesson, just before the holidays kick in.
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Hanba
Around this time last year, many people in Slovakia watched in disbelief as they saw the images of their prime minister in Moscow, shaking hands with Vladimir Putin – just after a Brussels summit at which Robert Fico had said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was harming Slovakia’s interests.
The photos of the two men against the backdrop of the Kremlin’s white-and-gold stucco interiors sparked a wave of public protests that ran for most of the winter and early spring, and then, on and off, throughout the year. Civic-minded Slovaks who witnessed their prime minister – and, on other occasions, his close associates on their various trips to Russia – become a tool of Kremlin propaganda could not help but feel angry and ashamed.
Hanba, or shame, is a useful Slovak word to learn at the end of 2025 – and not just because you may spot it on many of the banners at protest gatherings.
