Tibor Gašpar—indicted former police chief, now Deputy Speaker of the Slovak National Council and a leading figure in the pro-Kremlin Smer party—led an official parliamentary delegation to a high-profile commemorative forum in Volgograd, Russia, where he delivered a speech celebrating Soviet heroism while omitting any mention of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. The visit, attended by Vladimir Putin and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko, placed Gašpar alongside representatives from authoritarian regimes and unrecognised separatist entities, making him the only speaker from an EU or NATO member state. Once forced to resign over allegations of leaking police intelligence to a businessman charged with orchestrating the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak, Gašpar has since re-emerged as a key architect of Slovakia’s security policy and a central conduit of its deepening ties with Moscow.
His appearance in Volgograd comes amid heightened scrutiny over his family’s influence within Slovakia’s intelligence community, following revelations that his son, SIS director Pavol Gašpar, downplayed Russian links to repeated bomb threats against Slovak schools and met with Kremlin officials during a classified cybersecurity crisis. With Gašpar publicly defending extremists at home while denouncing “fascism” abroad, and openly questioning Slovakia’s EU and NATO membership, his performance in Russia—interpreted by regional experts as a deliberate alignment with Kremlin historical narratives—raises new questions about the Slovak government’s commitment to democratic alliances, historical truth, and national security.
Tibor Gašpar, Deputy Speaker of the Slovak National Council and a senior official of the governing Smer party, led a parliamentary delegation to Volgograd, Russia, for a commemorative conference from 27 April to 1 May. Accompanied by Defence and Security Committee chair Richard Glück, Gašpar joined representatives from over twenty nations—many authoritarian or unrecognised—at an event also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Corruption, Indictment, and Influence: The Rise of a Security Strongman
Tibor Gašpar is a controversial figure in Slovak politics, widely known for his tenure as Police Corps President during which he was implicated in systemic corruption and alleged collusion with organised crime. Forced to resign in 2018 following the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak—whose suspected killer Gašpar is accused of having illicit ties with—he later entered politics as a leading member of the Smer party. Now Vice-Chairman of the Slovak National Council and Chair of its Defence and Security Committee, Gašpar is also the father of the current intelligence chief, Pavol Gašpar, whose leadership of Slovakia’s secret service has raised alarms over political misuse and suspected Kremlin influence. Under indictment in a landmark corruption case, Tibor Gašpar has attracted further criticism for repeatedly engaging with Russian officials, advocating closer ties with Moscow, and publicly questioning Slovakia’s continued membership in the European Union and NATO.
Despite the prominence of the visit, Slovak officials offered almost no details. Gašpar shared a short social media post upon return, referring to the event only as a “commemorative forum” and making no mention of its political implications. Neither he nor Glück answered questions from the Slovak press about potential bilateral talks with Russian officials, or whether the topic of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine was raised.
A publicly available video of the conference—organised by the Russian State Duma—shows Gašpar addressing the audience in Russian, a choice he made explicitly at the beginning of his speech. “I was considering whether to speak Slovak or Russian at this forum,” he said, before declaring it an honour and responsibility to speak “at this sacred place,” a reference to Volgograd’s wartime legacy. This language echoed other speakers who sought to cast the Soviet war effort as the moral foundation of current Russian identity.
Gašpar’s speech portrayed Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) not merely as a battlefield but as a site where “the fate of humanity was decided.” He asserted that Slovaks “remember who liberated us—it was the soldiers of the Red Army,” and that “thanks to their courage, we are alive today, we can love and raise our children.” These remarks mirrored Soviet-era narratives still used by the Kremlin to justify present-day policies.
He also spoke personally, recounting his time as a student in Volgograd in 1985. “During those months, Volgograd became more than just a place on the map,” he said, sharing that he met the woman who would later become his wife in the city. This personal anecdote aimed to underline long-standing Slovak-Russian ties, but avoided any mention of present-day tensions or war.
A notable part of Gašpar’s speech concerned the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 15 May of the previous year. He claimed the shooter acted because he disagreed with the views that Fico represents, including his “international sovereign policy.” According to Gašpar, this incident reflected growing ideological intolerance, warning: “Hatred is being fuelled, and from hatred, it is only a few steps to war.” While Gašpar framed the attack as politically motivated, he omitted any reference to the wider context of rising extremism or the implications of Slovakia’s domestic political polarisation.
A Stage for Silence: Volgograd Speech Erases Ukraine from History
The article by Denník N also reports that Gašpar’s rhetoric throughout the speech and his participation in the event were interpreted by Czech journalist Ondřej Soukup as a clear alignment with Kremlin ideology. Soukup described Gašpar’s presence as “kissing the ring,” suggesting it signalled endorsement of the Russian state’s worldview, particularly its central myth of the Great Patriotic War. According to Soukup, who is a well-regarded expert on Russia, the Kremlin views the participation of international delegates at such commemorations as a barometer of loyalty.
Indeed, the event itself was heavily imbued with symbolism. The conference included delegations from authoritarian regimes and separatist regions such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Gašpar was the only representative from an EU or NATO member state to speak. Russian State Duma chairman Viacheslav Volodin and President Putin both used the forum to condemn Western leaders and promote a multipolar world order centred on Russian and Belarusian cooperation. Volodin denounced EU officials as “cynical and mad,” while Putin framed the gathering as a demonstration of shared “fundamental positions” on patriotism and historical truth.
The symbolic alignment was further reinforced by domestic developments in Russia. The conference coincided with the renaming of Volgograd airport to “Stalingrad,” a decision Putin justified as fulfilling the wishes of war veterans. Governor Andrey Bocharov claimed returning soldiers from the war in Ukraine had demanded the change to reflect a “proud and heroic” identity. Putin even suggested that renaming the city itself may follow, pending public consultation.
Meanwhile, Gašpar’s broader messaging remained consistent with the Kremlin line. On Facebook, he wrote that “history is being rewritten” and emphasised the importance of “protecting historical memory.” He added that “in Smer, we know who started the war, who caused human suffering, and who liberated us.” Yet his remarks omitted critical facts about Soviet actions at the start of World War II, including the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and the USSR’s co-invasion of Poland in 1939.
Finally, while Gašpar concluded his speech with a commitment to “never again to fascism in any form,” this declaration stands in tension with Smer’s ongoing defence of extremist figures such as Daniel Bombic, who is known for associations with the neo-Nazi scene. Gašpar’s invocation of anti-fascism served more to reinforce Soviet legacy narratives than to address current threats posed by far-right actors in Slovakia or Russia’s own war rhetoric.
Full English Transcript of Tibor Gašpar’s Speech in Volgograd
Esteemed Chairs, distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
I have decided to speak Russian at this forum. Please forgive any errors I may make.
Today, I am the only head of state from a member country of the European Union who has the honour—and the immense responsibility—of addressing you at this sacred site. A place where not only history was made, but where peace was born, and where the fate of humanity was once decided.
Allow me to begin with the words of one of the few Slovaks still living who fought in the Great World War:
“Preserve peace—it was born through suffering.”
I repeat these words with the deepest conviction and reverence. Today, they resonate more powerfully than ever, for we once again live in a world where fear, hatred, and falsehoods are on the rise; where the lessons of the past are being forgotten; where the thirst for power eclipses our shared humanity.
But we remember. We remember who started that horrific war. We remember who ended it, and who gave their lives for the freedom of millions.
Here, in Volgograd—formerly Stalingrad—the earth is soaked with the blood of those who did not fight for power or conquest, but for their homes, their mothers, their children, their future.
Here, two forces collided. One sought destruction; the other salvation. This place became a living hell. But it was here that the will to live triumphed. It was here that the madness—called fascism—was finally brought to an end.
Some 80 million lives were lost, (PLACEHOLDER) millions of homes destroyed, and generations bore the scars of war—scars of pain, of hunger, of fear. And today, when I look into the eyes of the young, of our children, I feel a duty—not merely to remember, but to speak the truth loudly, honestly, and with my whole heart.
We Slovaks are members of the European Union and NATO. We have our international obligations. But that does not absolve us of our moral responsibility to speak. War is unacceptable—under any circumstances, for any reason. Peace is not a luxury; it is a choice. And we have a duty to defend it—in words, in actions, and through truth.
Regrettably, in Slovakia and across Europe, I increasingly witness attempts to rewrite history. Facts are being distorted, heroes recast, and hatred rekindled. This is a path into the abyss, and we have no right to follow it.
We remember who liberated us. It was the soldiers of the Red Army. Their courage is the reason we are here today—to live, to love, to raise our children. Their blood is in every stone of our freedom.
Allow me to end with a personal memory.
In 1985 I spent five months here, in this great city. I was a student. During that time, Volgograd became more than a point on a map—it became part of my life story. I met honest, kind-hearted people. It was here that I met the woman who would become my wife.
We still remember those days—days of our youth. And even then, from the very first step on this soil, I felt something extraordinary. A special silence. Not emptiness, but a deep, sacred, eternal memory.
We shall not forget. We shall not betray. We shall not repeat.
Honour and glory to all who gave their lives for freedom.
Let peace live—the peace born through suffering. And may it never perish again.
I had intended to end my speech with those words, but I must add just a few more.
On 15 May last year, one Slovak tried to kill another Slovak—the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. He sought to kill him because he disagreed with the views Robert Fico represents. For example, he opposed the sovereign foreign policy that Robert Fico defends.
As I have said, hatred is being inflamed. And from hatred, it is only a few steps to war. We must be vigilant.
And so, I shall finish with the same words I began with, from a Slovak veteran of the Second World War:
“Preserve peace—it was born through suffering.”
Thank you.
Author:
Tomáš Čorej, Matúš Zdút | Source: Denník N
Victor Breiner | Slovak Media Monitor
