Slovakia’s National Crime Agency has detained 27-year-old Košice entrepreneur Róbert Juraj Paulinský—who brands himself online as the “King of Moscow Košice” and openly celebrates his Moscow State Institute of International Relations education—during Operation Funeral, a nationwide raid that netted eighteen suspects and led to nine indictments for alleged organised-crime, extortion, property damage, unlawful entry, indirect bribery and public endangerment, police confirmed on Wednesday. Paulinský’s arrest follows a public career built on displays of Russian allegiance, including a “MOCKBA Z” number-plate seen by senior Slovak officials as tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, social-media promotion of a 2024 Moscow exhibition of captured Ukrainian armour, and a January 2025 visit to Voronezh in which the state agency RIA Voronezh introduced him as a supporter of the Kremlin’s “special military operation”. Previously acquitted in an unrelated cocaine-possession case and briefly admitted to the governing Direction – Slovak Social Democracy party before resigning, Paulinský controls funeral-services and property businesses whose revenues surged to €1.3 million and €0.25 million last year; investigators searched those premises during Monday’s raids. Courts have yet to decide whether he or the other suspects will be held in pre-trial detention, leaving unanswered questions over how pro-Kremlin messaging, party affiliation and alleged criminal activity may intersect within Slovakia’s eastern business and political networks.
Róbert Juraj Paulinský, a 27-year-old entrepreneur from Košice, eastern Slovakia’s second-largest city, has cultivated a strong pro-Russian public image, styling himself online as the “King of Moscow Košice”. On 3 June, officers from the National Crime Agency’s anti-organised-crime unit detained him during “Operation Funeral”, a nationwide sweep that resulted in eighteen arrests. According to police statements, nine of those detained—including one serving police officer—were later indicted on charges ranging from participation in an organised criminal group to extortion, property damage, unlawful entry, indirect bribery, and public endangerment; prosecutors have sought pre-trial detention for seven suspects. The judicial outcome remained Unknown at the time of writing.
Paulinský’s social-media feeds had long highlighted his affinity for the Russian Federation. In May 2024 he posted video footage from a Moscow exhibition of military hardware captured from Ukrainian forces, and shared photographs from the capital’s Carlton Hotel alongside the slogan “Za víťazstvo, za pravdu” (“For victory, for truth”). Other posts showed trips to Prague, Dubai and Uzbekistan, often accompanied by Cyrillic captions.
His ties to Russia extend to education: Paulinský states that he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), a university whose alumni include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau has described MGIMO as an “investment in Russian imperialism”. Paulinský’s enthusiasm also appeared on Slovak roads: he initially drove with a “MOCKBA Z” personalised number-plate, a combination widely read domestically as “Moscow” with the wartime “Z” symbol of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The plate drew criticism from former Slovak prime minister Ľudovít Ódor and ex-foreign minister Rastislav Káčer, who called its display “supporting aggression”. Paulinský replaced the plate two days after media coverage.
In March 2024 local media revealed that the entrepreneur had been under investigation since 2020 for alleged cocaine possession; the Košice Regional Court later acquitted him after defence lawyers challenged police procedures. By that point he had briefly joined the left-wing Direction – Slovak Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party—led nationally by the prime minister—but resigned when the drugs case became public. A senior local Smer-SD official, Pavol Mutafov, later said Paulinský’s exit was “good for the party”.
Paulinský’s Russian links deepened in January 2025 when he and independent Košice city councillor Michal Djordjevič spent nearly a week in Russia. The state-run agency RIA Voronezh presented both men to local students as international supporters of Russia’s “special military operation”. Djordjevič subsequently told Slovak media that he did not share Paulinský’s level of enthusiasm for Russia and, after the arrests, indicated he would not repeat such a trip.
Business records show Paulinský connected to four companies. Two—Ave-Germek funeral services and Germek Properties—are registered at a villa once owned by the Rezeš family and posted annual revenues of €1.3 million and €0.25 million respectively in 2024. The other firms, Efkey and Sulín Mineral Voda, reported no turnover and small losses. Police searched the villa and several additional addresses during Operation Funeral, removing items for evidence and briefly detaining Paulinský’s father.
For now, the entrepreneur remains one of seven suspects facing a possible remand order as investigators pursue allegations that intertwine organised crime and the public projection of pro-Kremlin sentiment within Slovakia’s eastern business and political circles. The courts have yet to determine guilt or innocence.
Source: Jana Ogurčáková | Source: Korzár
