Slovak police attempted to detain ex-minister over Ukraine ammo donation

Slovak police attempted to detain former defence minister Jaroslav Naď on Wednesday amid an investigation by European prosecutors into alleged irregularities in the donation of ammunition to Ukraine.

Naď, defence minister from 2020-2023 and a staunch supporter of Ukraine, was not detained as he was on vacation in Canada. However, Alexander Gurský, former head of the state-owned arms manufacturer Konštrukta Defense, and Peter Kozák, the former top civil servant in the country's defence ministry, were brought in for questioning.

No charges have yet been filed.

The case emerged after report by Slovakia's Supreme Audit Office (SAO) late last year flagged discrepancies between records from the defence ministry and the general staff regarding military donations to Ukraine.

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) then launched an investigation in April 2025, as the case concerns suspected misuse of EU funds. Slovakia was reimbursed for much of the donated ammunition out of the EU budget.

EPPO prosecutor Juraj Novocký said in May that the SAO report served as the basis for opening the case, which now centers on alleged procurement fraud and inflated pricing.

Following Wednesday's detentions, the EPPO estimated that the alleged misuse concerns around €7.4 million in funds.

The EPPO said eight people were detained in total, four of whom were defence ministry officials.

Naď, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, dismissed his attempted arrested as “political theatre” intended to distract from the failures of Fico’s government.

“I’m proud of how we helped Ukraine – I’d do it again, even more so," he wrote on Facebook.

"If these pro-Russian agents want to jail me for it, let them."

Naď' received support from several opposition politicians and commentators, including the conservative party he leads, the Democrats.

Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok has denied that Naď's attempted detention was politically motivated.

Members of Prime Minister Robert Fico’s ruling coalition, who strongly oppose aid to Ukraine, have previously labelled Naď a “traitor” and said that “karma will catch up with him”.

Last year, members of Fico’s party Smer filed a criminal complaint against Naď over the transfer of MiG-29 jets to Ukraine, which the police later dismissed.

Fico has also made unsubstantiated claims that link Naď’s party to the gunman who attempted to assassinate him last year.