Slovakia bans Georgian volunteer, 9 others, from entry as Fico ramps up coup plot accusations

By Jan Lopatka

(Reuters) - Slovakia on Friday banned a Georgian military volunteer who has been fighting in Ukraine and nine other people from entering the country, saying he was involved in an opposition plot to overthrow the government.

Prime Minister Robert Fico named Mamuka Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian Legion fighting for Ukraine against Russian forces, of being involved in plans to depose him through a campaign of public protests.

"We can confirm that, in the background of organising protests in Slovakia...is the Georgian National Legion," Fico told a press conference.

Fico, who has taken a pro-Russian stance on the war in Ukraine and has been in a dispute with Kyiv after it stopped the transit of Russian gas exports, has faced protests over his policies that antagonised Western allies as well as the domestic opposition.

He has accused activists and the pro-Western opposition of aiming to whip up protests and occupy government buildings. The opposition and activists deny the accusations.

At the press conference, Fico showed photographs of Mamulashvili with protest-organising group Mier Ukrajine (Peace to Ukraine) activist Lucia Stasselova and online news media dennikn.sk commentator Martin M.Simecka, the father of opposition leader Michal Simecka.

Fico did not answer questions on how exactly Mamulashvili was helping with the alleged coup attempt.

Speaking on Thursday in dennikn.sk, Mamulashvili denied any involvement in protests in Slovakia.

The Mier Ukrajine group said on its Facebook page on Thursday, when the accusations first appeared, that the picture of Stasselova with Mamulashvili was made at a public debate in Bratislava in 2023.

It said accusations of connection between the protests and Georgia were a "lie and manipulation".

The other photographed encounter with Mamulashvili was when Slovak reporters, including Simecka senior, were in Ukraine to hand over humanitarian aid bought from fundraising for his unit, dennikn.sk said.

Apart from the 10 individuals banned from the country, one unnamed Ukrainian national has been detained and expulsion proceedings were started, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said.

Activists from the Nie v Nasom Meste group, which also organises protests, have rejected accusations they planned any illegal activity.

(This story has been refiled to fix the spelling of 'Slovakia' in the headline)

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague; Editing by Angus MacSwan)