{"id":19067,"date":"2025-12-17T17:04:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T17:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/?p=19067"},"modified":"2025-12-17T17:04:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T17:04:34","slug":"slovakias-intelligence-service-gaspar-russian-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/slovakias-intelligence-service-gaspar-russian-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Slovakia\u2019s intelligence service under Ga\u0161par: a veteran warns of politicization, institutional decline, and ignored Russian threats"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article presents an expert opinion based on an interview with a veteran officer of Slovakia\u2019s SIS civilian intelligence service<\/strong>, offering sharp criticism of Prime Minister Robert Fico<\/strong> for consolidating excessive power and exerting political control over the country\u2019s intelligence leadership.<\/p>\n

The Slovak Information Service (SIS)<\/strong> is the country\u2019s primary civilian intelligence and counterintelligence agency. By law, it reports directly to the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic \u2014 currently Robert Fico.<\/p>\n

According to Juraj Kulik<\/strong>, a retired colonel and former director of the National Security and Analytical Center (NBAC)<\/strong> within SIS, the agency has been pulled into domestic political battles under its current leadership. Kulik argues that SIS has become entangled in conflicts between the ruling coalition and the opposition, most visibly during the recent controversy surrounding the alleged \u201cpreparation of a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who is Pavol Ga\u0161par?<\/h2>\n

The current director of SIS, Pavol Ga\u0161par<\/strong>, is the son of Tibor Ga\u0161par<\/strong><\/a>, the former president of Slovakia\u2019s Police Presidium. Tibor Ga\u0161par is currently under criminal investigation<\/strong> in connection with allegations of corruption and abuse of power during his tenure in law enforcement.<\/p>\n

Investigative journalists have reported that Tibor Ga\u0161par effectively transferred operational control of the police to the B\u00f6d\u00f6r oligarch network<\/strong>, based primarily in the Nitra region and linked to the private security firm Bonul<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Under the previous government (now in opposition), Tibor Ga\u0161par left the police force with the rank of general and later joined the SMER-SD party<\/strong>. He currently serves as Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Initially, SMER-SD reportedly sought to appoint Tibor Ga\u0161par himself as head of SIS. Legal constraints arising from the ongoing investigation made this impossible. The party then turned to his son, Pavol Ga\u0161par, as an alternative.<\/p>\n

\"Pavol<\/a><\/p>\n

Pavol Ga\u0161par is a controversial figure, known publicly for abrasive behavior and displays of personal wealth. He has drawn attention for prominent tattoos \u2014 one depicting his father, another featuring the protagonist of The Godfather. Shortly after assuming leadership of SIS, he appeared in media reports following a traffic accident<\/a> involving a Dodge Hellcat, which he was driving while wearing casual beachwear and flip-flops.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a road to hell\u201d: inside SIS under political pressure<\/h2>\n

In an interview for the Disinforeport podcast produced by infosecurity.sk, Kulik described what he sees as a steady institutional collapse of SIS since the fourth Fico government came to power two years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a road to hell,\u201d Kulik said. \u201cBy its very nature, SIS must remain strictly apolitical. For its director, this is not optional \u2014 it is a direct legal obligation.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A career intelligence officer with over 22 years of service, Kulik detailed what he characterizes as growing politicization, internal pressure, and the marginalization of professionals unwilling to align with ruling-party interests.<\/p>\n

The Russian threat: a strategic blind spot<\/h2>\n

Kulik stressed that the internal crisis at SIS coincides with a dangerous failure to confront Russia\u2019s hybrid activities in Slovakia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A substantial body of publicly available evidence indicates that Russia operates not only through disinformation campaigns, but also via systematic influence over political, social, and economic elites. Academic researchers, whistleblowers, military analysts, and international experts broadly agree on the scale of this challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation is profoundly serious,\u201d Kulik warned. \u201cAs a state, we have effectively abandoned a coherent strategy to counter hybrid threats or build societal resilience \u2014 regardless of where those threats originate.\u201d<\/p>\n

One example is Slovakia\u2019s Security Council Committee on Hybrid Threats, which exists largely on paper and has yet to become operational. Constitutional law experts have repeatedly argued that making this body functional is not merely advisable, but constitutionally necessary.<\/p>\n

\n

Read also: #BabakovLeaks: former Slovak Prime Minister Fico and the Russian gas needle<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Kulik emphasized that Russia has, for several years, conducted both military and non-military operations against the collective West, including Slovakia, within the so-called \u2018gray zone\u2019 of hybrid warfare \u2014 actions designed to maintain plausible deniability.
\nWhile diplomatic channels must remain open, he argued, this cannot excuse the state\u2019s failure to strengthen domestic resilience amid Slovakia\u2019s deep political polarization.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoup\u201d allegations and legal violations<\/h2>\n

Kulik also addressed the high-profile case involving allegations of an attempted coup d\u2019\u00e9tat earlier this year. The controversy erupted after Prime Minister Fico<\/strong> cited a classified SIS report claiming that Slovakia faced an organized coup allegedly planned by foreign activists connected to opposition groups and protest organizers \u2014 including, according to SIS<\/a>, figures linked to the Georgian National Legion and its commander Mamuka Mamulashvili.<\/p>\n

In his interview, Kulik stated that SIS may have violated the law by publicly admitting that some of the information was obtained through wiretapping \u2014 the use of eavesdropping and surveillance tools that legally require court warrant.
\nSlovak law explicitly prohibits SIS from disclosing the use of such methods. Kulik also noted serious legal concerns regarding the handling of personal data derived from such surveillance.<\/p>\n

Intelligence in the service of politics<\/h2>\n

Kulik has publicly accused the current SIS leadership of systematically politicizing the service and targeting employees who refuse to align with SMER-SD\u2013appointed officials. According to him, SIS is increasingly serving partisan political interests rather than fulfilling its mandate to protect national security.<\/p>\n

The full interview with Juraj Kulik<\/a> is available as a podcast.<\/p>\n

\n

The editorial board of the InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community has published this material in its Opinion section. Notably, the initiative to bring these concerns to international attention originated from Slovak intelligence officers themselves. <\/em><\/strong>Veterans of SIS, Kulik among them, warn of a growing risk of power usurpation by Prime Minister Robert Fico. His openly conciliatory stance toward Moscow, they argue, undermines not only Slovakia\u2019s national interests but also those of its European partners.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article presents an expert opinion based on an interview with a veteran officer of Slovakia\u2019s SIS…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[528,8467],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSlovakia\u2019s intelligence service under Ga\u0161par: a veteran warns of politicization, institutional decline, and ignored Russian threats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The editorial board of the InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community has published this material in its Opinion section. 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By law, it reports directly to the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic \u2014 currently Robert Fico.\r\n\r\nAccording to <strong>Juraj Kulik<\/strong>, a retired colonel and former director of the <strong>National Security and Analytical Center (NBAC)<\/strong> within SIS, the agency has been pulled into domestic political battles under its current leadership. Kulik argues that SIS has become entangled in conflicts between the ruling coalition and the opposition, most visibly during the recent controversy surrounding the alleged \u201cpreparation of a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat.\u201d\r\n<h2>Who is Pavol Ga\u0161par?<\/h2>\r\nThe current director of SIS, <strong>Pavol Ga\u0161par<\/strong>, is the son of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tibor_Ga%C5%A1par\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Tibor Ga\u0161par<\/strong><\/a>, the former president of Slovakia\u2019s Police Presidium. Tibor Ga\u0161par is currently <strong>under criminal investigation<\/strong> in connection with allegations of corruption and abuse of power during his tenure in law enforcement.\r\n\r\nInvestigative journalists have reported that Tibor Ga\u0161par effectively transferred operational control of the police to the <strong>B\u00f6d\u00f6r oligarch network<\/strong>, based primarily in the Nitra region and linked to the private security firm <strong>Bonul<\/strong>.\r\n\r\nUnder the previous government (now in opposition), Tibor Ga\u0161par left the police force with the rank of general and later joined the <strong>SMER-SD party<\/strong>. He currently serves as <strong>Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nInitially, SMER-SD reportedly sought to appoint Tibor Ga\u0161par himself as head of SIS. Legal constraints arising from the ongoing investigation made this impossible. The party then turned to his son, Pavol Ga\u0161par, as an alternative.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/2.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19070 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2025\/12\/2.jpg\" alt=\"Pavol Ga\u0161par, Tibor Ga\u0161par\" width=\"582\" height=\"434\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\nPavol Ga\u0161par is a controversial figure, known publicly for abrasive behavior and displays of personal wealth. He has drawn attention for prominent tattoos \u2014 one depicting his father, another featuring the protagonist of The Godfather. Shortly after assuming leadership of SIS, he appeared in media reports following a <a href=\"https:\/\/spectator.sme.sk\/politics-and-society\/c\/slovakias-spy-chief-crashes-muscle-car\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">traffic accident<\/a> involving a Dodge Hellcat, which he was driving while wearing casual beachwear and flip-flops.\r\n<h2>\u201cThis is a road to hell\u201d: inside SIS under political pressure<\/h2>\r\nIn an interview for the Disinforeport podcast produced by infosecurity.sk, Kulik described what he sees as a steady institutional collapse of SIS since the fourth Fico government came to power two years ago.\r\n<blockquote>\u201cThis is a road to hell,\u201d Kulik said. \u201cBy its very nature, SIS must remain strictly apolitical. For its director, this is not optional \u2014 it is a direct legal obligation.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\nA career intelligence officer with over 22 years of service, Kulik detailed what he characterizes as growing politicization, internal pressure, and the marginalization of professionals unwilling to align with ruling-party interests.\r\n<h2>The Russian threat: a strategic blind spot<\/h2>\r\nKulik stressed that the internal crisis at SIS coincides with a <strong>dangerous failure to confront Russia\u2019s hybrid activities in Slovakia.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nA substantial body of publicly available evidence indicates that Russia operates not only through disinformation campaigns, but also via systematic influence over political, social, and economic elites. Academic researchers, whistleblowers, military analysts, and international experts broadly agree on the scale of this challenge.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe situation is profoundly serious,\u201d Kulik warned. \u201cAs a state, we have effectively abandoned a coherent strategy to counter hybrid threats or build societal resilience \u2014 regardless of where those threats originate.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne example is Slovakia\u2019s Security Council Committee on Hybrid Threats, which exists largely on paper and has yet to become operational. Constitutional law experts have repeatedly argued that making this body functional is not merely advisable, but constitutionally necessary.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\nRead also: <a href=\"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/babakovleaks-robert-fico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#BabakovLeaks: former Slovak Prime Minister Fico and the Russian gas needle<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\nKulik emphasized that Russia has, for several years, conducted both military and non-military operations against the collective West, including Slovakia, within the so-called \u2018gray zone\u2019 of hybrid warfare \u2014 actions designed to maintain plausible deniability.\r\nWhile diplomatic channels must remain open, he argued, this cannot excuse the state\u2019s failure to strengthen domestic resilience amid Slovakia\u2019s deep political polarization.\r\n<h2>\u201cCoup\u201d allegations and legal violations<\/h2>\r\nKulik also addressed the high-profile case involving allegations of an attempted coup d\u2019\u00e9tat earlier this year. The controversy erupted after <strong>Prime Minister Fico<\/strong> cited a classified SIS report claiming that Slovakia faced an organized coup allegedly planned by foreign activists connected to opposition groups and protest organizers \u2014 including, <a href=\"https:\/\/spectator.sme.sk\/politics-and-society\/c\/gaspars-people-scandal-hit-slovak-spy-boss-kept-in-position-by-powerful-backers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to SIS<\/a>, figures linked to the Georgian National Legion and its commander Mamuka Mamulashvili.\r\n\r\nIn his interview, Kulik stated that SIS may have violated the law by publicly admitting that some of the information was obtained through wiretapping \u2014 the use of eavesdropping and surveillance tools that legally require court warrant.\r\nSlovak law explicitly prohibits SIS from disclosing the use of such methods. Kulik also noted serious legal concerns regarding the handling of personal data derived from such surveillance.\r\n<h2>Intelligence in the service of politics<\/h2>\r\nKulik has publicly accused the current SIS leadership of systematically politicizing the service and targeting employees who refuse to align with SMER-SD\u2013appointed officials. According to him, SIS is increasingly serving partisan political interests rather than fulfilling its mandate to protect national security.\r\n\r\nThe<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/3DG0gVtIFB3Dm1Q1embPtP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> full interview with Juraj Kulik<\/a> is available as a podcast.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<strong><em>The editorial board of the InformNapalm volunteer intelligence community has published this material in its Opinion section. Notably, the initiative to bring these concerns to international attention originated from Slovak intelligence officers themselves. <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Veterans of SIS, Kulik among them, warn of a growing risk of power usurpation by Prime Minister Robert Fico. His openly conciliatory stance toward Moscow, they argue, undermines not only Slovakia\u2019s national interests but also those of its European partners.<\/em><\/strong>","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19067"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19071,"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19067\/revisions\/19071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}