Milan Uhrík, a far-right politician, was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2019. Uhrík was formerly a member and vice-chairman of the right-wing extremist Kotleba-People’s Party Our Slovakia (LSNS). Uhrík’s political positions on various issues are notable for their pro-Russian and anti-Western stance.
Pro-Russian and Anti-Western Stance
Uhrík is a prominent advocate for Russian influence in Slovakia. He combines pro-Russian views with verbal attacks on the US and the West, including the EU. Uhrík condemned the European Parliament for approving three resolutions critical of Russia in the first few months of its new term. In addition, Uhrík suggested that the EU, NATO, NGOs linked to the US, and financial speculators are also responsible for spreading misinformation.
In one of his speeches during a debate in the European Parliament, Uhrík spread pro-Russian disinformation about events in Ukraine in late 2013. He claimed that anti-government protests in Ukraine that year were organized by Western intelligence services and NGOs. Uhrík said, “If we want to help peace in Ukraine, first of all we must openly say how it all began. That these were the secret services and NGOs, also financed from Brussels, but mainly from Washington, who took advantage of the frustration of ordinary Ukrainians, the frustration from the oligarchy, corruption and that they organized Maidan first, and then the civil war started.”
Uhrík also served as one of the most active Slovak politicians who spread conspiracy theories and misinformation narratives during the COVID-19 pandemic. He combined openly pro-Russian stances with anti-Americanism. Commenting on the Defender 2020 military exercise in Europe, he wrote in March 2020 that “20,000 US troops, 13,000 US heavy tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters along with other military equipment are silently being landed in seven European countries. … For what purpose do the soldiers come to Europe? To help prevent the spread of the virus? Not at all! They come here in collaboration with NATO to provoke Russia and to try a war against Russia that could be run on the European continent”. According to Uhrík, the “US destroys the selected countries with military and economic sanctions, even at a time of a pandemic, simply because they are not ruled by politicians according to the American taste. Thank you, but the less America there is in the world, the better!” He praised China and Russia for their alleged help to Europeans in combating COVID-19.
Referendum and Anti-Russian Hysteria
In July 2020, Uhrík called the “referendum” on amending the Russian constitution “an inspiration for Slovak politics.” When the EP dealt with the issue of human and civil rights in Russia, Uhrík called it the “Anti-Russian hysteria in Brussels,” which he said “had reached absurd proportions” and added that “the anti-Russian vocabulary is indeed already at the level of annoying war propaganda.” In a promotional image on his Facebook profile, he calls himself “the most pro-Slavic MEP” by uttering the phrase “I reject the anti-Russian rampage.”
In April 2021, when the Slovak government expelled three Russian spies who worked under diplomatic cover in Bratislava as a reaction to the explosion in the Czech city, Uhrík commented, “By expelling Russian diplomats, the Slovak government has made an active part of the anti-Russian conflict. It’s more than enough anyway!” and he asked: “What is the expulsion of Russian diplomats good for? How will it help? Russia will expel 3 Slovaks
