The e-mail dump of Deputy Head of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Alexander Babakov continues to reveal details of Russian influence operations on European states. In this article, Cyber Resistance group provided InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community with an interesting document that sheds light on the history of friendly relations between the pro-Russian Slovak politician Robert Fico and Gazprom. 

Slovakia, a country where early general elections are due to take place at the end of September 2023, is no exception. The Social Democratic Party SMER-SD, led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico (2006–2010, 2012–2018), is now seen as the forerunner.

Fico is a Slovak version of Viktor Orban. A nationalist with right-wing conservative views. Like Orban, since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Fico made anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian statements.

Since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion, Slovakia has consistently supported Ukraine: it was one of the first NATO countries to transfer S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine, and later provided its entire fleet of fighters – thirteen MiG-29 airplanes.

Unfortunately, polls show Fico’s party at the top the ratings. Should he win, Slovakia could radically swing its policy towards the Kremlin.

And we understand that just as there can be no smoke without fire, there cannot be a pro-Russian politician without a certain personal interest. What makes Fico take a pro-Russian stance at a time when it means publicly justifying Russian crimes on a daily basis? Obviously, Russian energy resources.

RUSSIAN BUSINESS IN SLOVAKIA

During Fico’s premiership, Russian business felt confident in Slovakia. Russia ran projects in several areas of the Slovak economy, but, of course, the largest is energy.

Before the reduction in Russian gas consumption by the EU, up to 6.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas were supplied to Slovakia. The country was not only a direct recipient, but also a transit conduit for the Russian gas.

It was under Fico, that a contract was signed between JSC Slovak Gas Industry and Gazprom Export LLC, valid until 2028 and providing for the transportation of about 700 billion cubic meters of natural gas until its expiry.

In December 2014, Moscow and Bratislava also signed a long-term contract until 2029 for the supply of Russian oil. Under this agreement, 6 million tons of fuel are to be supplied to Slovakia annually for domestic consumption and a similar amount for further transit.

The Russian Federation and Slovakia also had active cooperation in the nuclear energy sector – the supply of nuclear fuel, the modernization of Slovak nuclear power plants and their warranty service by the Russians.

PUTIN’S LETTER

We noticed an interesting letter from November 2013 in Babakov’s mail. Let’s recall the context. In Ukraine, Yanukovych was still in power, Russia put maximum pressure on Ukraine demanding that it refuse to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. Putin was already preparing a special operation in Crimea and the Donbas seeking to destabilize Ukraine. The start of Maidan, the Revolution of Dignity, was a couple of weeks away.

That is when Babakov receives a letter from one Fuad Uzbekov, senior adviser at Gazprom Export and deputy general director at KazGosGaz (a joint venture of Gazprom and KazMunayGas), as well as the director of an Australian (in fact Russian) company Carpathian Resources, which had assets in the Czech Republic and then suddenly sold everything to Gazprom.

The letter contains an appeal from Fico to Putin, as well as a memo from the director of Russian Railways, Yakunin, to Putin with the latter’s resolution. Putin assigned these documents to Alexey Miller, the CEO of Gazprom. In theory, since these documents went for consideration to the Russian gas monopoly, Babakov, as the person in charge of the energy sector and Russian parliamentary activities abroad, had to be in the know.

In his letter to Putin, Fico writes that the state of Slovakia has finally established control over the main gas company – JSC Slovak Gas Industry, paving the way for the state to control the price of gas for Slovak consumers. Of course, Fico does not forget to mention that this company is “a significant partner of Gazprom”.

Since almost all the gas in Slovakia is of Russian origin, Fico suggests that Putin intensify cooperation between the Slovak Gas Industry and Gazprom. As a first step, Fico proposes to develop two underground gas storage facilities in Slovakia to act as a gas hub for Eastern and Central Europe. Of course, with the participation of Gazprom.

The following documents contain a description of the project and its presentation in English and Russian:

• UGS PRESENT 11.2012 (English)
• Presentation UGS July 2013 (for Gaz) (rus)

Then it gets even more interesting. It is still unclear why, but a letter to Putin describing the advisability of supporting the project was sent by Yakunin, a former intelligence officer and at that time the director of the Russian Railways.

This letter is a rich source of telling quotes showing the true plans of Russia to weaponize its energy resources.

For example, Yakunin explains the need to develop the underground gas storage facilities (UGS) in Slovakia by “the position of Ukraine”. Yakunin points out that there are plans to develop a European gas hub based on the Ukrainian UGS facilities, which is a way to reduce Europe’s dependence on Gazprom.

“If this idea is implemented, Gazprom will lose not only a significant market share, but, most dangerously, its strategic initiative as the main supplier of gas to Central and Eastern Europe. This will mean Russia losing one of its main economic and geopolitical influence factors in the region”.

Further, Yakunin writes that it was Fico who personally, in negotiations with Miller, actually proposed to Gazprom the option of joint management of the Slovak gas transportation system by offering the Russians a stake in the Slovak Gas Industry (which, as we remember, is controlled by the state). “This could provide an opportunity to radically solve the problem of preventing reverse gas supplies from Europe to Ukraine”. That is, Yakunin almost directly says: we must not allow Ukraine to get off from the Russian gas needle – Ukraine must be dependent only on us.

Then things get even more interesting. It turns out that Miller, in negotiations with Fico, emphasized the proposal to Slovakia to “exert influence” on Donald Tusk [Prime Minister of Poland in 2013, note by InformNapalm] to organize a new gas transportation route bypassing Ukraine through Poland”.

In conclusion, Yakunin explains to Putin that the development of the UGS facilities in Slovakia will lay the foundations for a new European gas exports strategy in the interests of Russia’s national security:

“It appears necessary to strongly support the initiatives of the Slovak government [i.e. Fico,note by InformNapalm] and, as soon as possible, make a decision on the acquisition of a stake by Russian structures in the Slovak Gas Industry and on the lease of underground gas storage facilities being developed in Slovakia”.

CONCLUSION

Robert Fico is hardly a short-sighted man. On the contrary, he understood very well why he was increasing the influence of Russia and Gazprom in Slovakia and, accordingly, in Europe. This, too, was another step that increased Putin’s self-confidence and belief in impunity, which ultimately led him to start a war against Ukraine in 2014.

Unfortunately, Babakov’s mail contains only this interesting document, and we cannot reliably say that Fico had any personal financial benefit from the Russia’s participation in the joint gas venture (like Putin’s friend Gerhard Schröder). However, Fico’s political benefit is obvious.

Apparently, the loss of Slovakia’s energy sovereignty was not on Fico’s mind. Populism on low gas prices allowed him to increase his personal political clout. And the support of the Russians made it possible to finance his party.

Now Fico is striving for power again. He will hardly forget his old Russian friends. Just as another Slovak friend of the Russians Stefan Harabin, the former head of the Supreme Court of Slovakia and Minister of Justice. We wrote about him before. On the second day of the full-scale invasion, on February 25, 2022, Kharabin wrote “I would have done the same as Putin in connection with the events in Ukraine”.

And what will Fico do? It’s not too hard to guess.

Read more publications based on the data from Cyber Resistance hacktivists

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