Slovakia’s Prime Minister has instructed the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovenská akadémia vied, SAV), the country’s foremost scientific institution, to conduct a quantitative analysis of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The examination is tasked with identifying the presence of DNA and other undeclared substances in vaccine samples, following claims made by Peter Kotlár, the government’s Special Envoy for the Review of COVID-19 Pandemic Management and a nominee of the nationalist Slovak National Party (Slovenská národná strana, SNS).
Kotlár alleged in an expert report that vaccine samples used in Slovakia contained extremely high levels of DNA and other substances not disclosed by manufacturers. Although his report has not been made public, he claims mRNA vaccines could alter human DNA, drawing a comparison to genetically modified crops such as maize.
In a public statement, the Prime Minister announced that the government would formally alert citizens to Kotlár’s findings through an official resolution. Roman Dorčík, Director of the State Institute for Drug Control (Štátny ústav pre kontrolu liečiv, ŠÚKL), consulted with the Prime Minister regarding potential steps following the allegations.
Extensive research shows that Kremlin-backed actors systematically promoted the Russian Sputnik V vaccine while spreading false claims about Western COVID-19 vaccines, such as alleging that mRNA vaccines alter DNA. This disinformation campaign, confirmed by academic studies, investigative journalism, and governmental reports, significantly contributed to reduced vaccine confidence and uptake, particularly in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Evidence links exposure to Russian-origin vaccine disinformation to greater hesitancy and mistrust of public health institutions, including in Slovakia.
Confusion and Criticism from the Scientific Community
The government passed a resolution instructing the Ministry of Health to commission the Biomedicine Centre and the Virology Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences to perform the analysis. However, Silvia Pastoreková, Director of the Biomedicine Centre, reported that no official mandate or financial arrangement has yet been provided to the Academy. Scientists within the Academy expressed that completing such a study could take several weeks once properly initiated.
Numerous researchers, speaking anonymously, have criticised the demand, labelling it “nonsense” and “a waste of time.” They underscored that mRNA vaccines had already passed rigorous safety evaluations by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Union’s authoritative regulator.
Pfizer-BioNTech, the leading supplier of mRNA vaccines to Slovakia, issued a statement rejecting Kotlár’s claims, affirming that their vaccine has shown no evidence of DNA mutation or oncogenic risk.
Political Tensions Surface Within the Coalition
The Hlas-SD party, a social-democratic member of the ruling coalition, signalled that it would demand Peter Kotlár deliver his full report on pandemic management by the end of June or face dismissal. Tomáš Drucker, Deputy Chairman of Hlas-SD and Minister of Education, declared that any envoy who fails to deliver mandated work should be removed.
In a further escalation, the Prime Minister announced the temporary suspension of mRNA vaccine imports to Slovakia. Under a 2023 agreement signed by former caretaker Prime Minister Ľudovít Ódor, now affiliated with the liberal Progressive Slovakia party (Progresívne Slovensko, PS), Slovakia is obliged to purchase nearly 300,000 additional COVID-19 vaccine doses by 2025 and 2026, at a cost of approximately €5.79 million. Prime Minister Fico asserted that no further purchases or payments should proceed until the new SAV analysis is complete.
The latest moves by the Slovak government risk politicising public health further at a critical time when public trust in institutions is already fragile. Analysts warn that actions undermining scientific consensus can carry long-term consequences for vaccine uptake, public health, and Slovakia’s credibility within European frameworks.
While the scientific community in Slovakia remains cautious, the political entanglement of pandemic management review efforts, combined with the broader context of foreign disinformation campaigns, underscores the complexity and potential volatility of the situation.
