The Slovak government banned a Georgian military volunteer from entering the country as Prime Minister Robert Fico claimed conspirators were planning to oust him in a coup d'état as he seeks to distract the public from a mounting political crisis.

Fico named Mamuka Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian Legion fighting for Ukraine who has been in active combat in Ukraine, of participating in plans to depose him. Mamulashvili has been made persona non grata, along with nine other individuals.

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

The Prime Minister has accused activists of whipping up public opinion against him as he in turn tries to whip up public support by portraying himself as under attack and claiming that potential coup attempts against him are being orchestrated by opposition factions.

Fico dodged questions at the press conference on how exactly Mamulashvili was helping with the alleged coup attempt. Speaking the same day to dennikn.sk, Mamulashvili denied he was involved in any plan to overthrow the government.

“I can somehow understand why we are being accused of starting protests in Georgia. But in Slovakia?”  said Mamulashvili, commenting on the accusations against him and the Legion in an interview with the Slovak outlet Denník N.

In a statement, The Mier Group said any connection between the protests and Georgia were a "lie and manipulation". Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who is the face of Georgia's protest movement, also dismissed the claim as a provocation.

Mamulashvili believes that rumors about the Legion’s involvement in Slovak politics originate from Russia: “They accuse us of everything—from political interference to violence. All of this comes from Russia. We are convinced that Russian intelligence services are trying to discredit us. For them, we are, of course, unacceptable because we are enemies of Russia. For dictatorships, free people are a threat," he said. 

Fico is facing a mounting political crisis with recently large public protests over his efforts to woo Russian President Vladimir Putin during a surprise visit to Moscow in December and secure gas supplies after Ukraine ended its gas transit deal with Gazprom on January 1, cutting Slovakia off from its main supplier.

In related news, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another Putin ally, threatened to veto any aid to Ukraine again on January 31, unless gas transits from Russia to Central Europe were resumed.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in anti-government protests that threaten Fico’s hold on power. An estimated 60,000 rallied against Fico's pro-Kremlin turn in Bratislava alone on January 25, and a combined 120,000 rallied across Slovakia in the largest protest since 2018, when Fico was also ousted by mass demonstrations following the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancé. Kuciak’s killing was linked to Fico’s government, causing a shockwave that toppled Fico.

Fico claimed a coup was being organized a week ago in the wake of a failed no-confidence vote against him. Fico claimed “a coup” is taking place against his government involving opposition, NGOs and “funding from abroad”, echoing both Putin and the ruling party Georgian Dream, both of which have been trying to stifle civil society and the freedom of the press but using so-called foreign agents laws.

At the same time the increasingly embattled Prime Minister is facing a possible rebellion in his own party. Fico’s left-right cabinet is facing an existential crisis after both of his coalition partners, conservative centre-left Hlas and far-right SNS, started to negotiate with rebel legislators over further support for the cabinet.

And the crisis took on an international dimension last week, when Fico accused Czechia and the media of meddling in internal affairs following their criticism of his trip to Moscow in December to meet Putin and his generally pro-Russian stance.

Fico has alleged, without presenting concrete evidence, that unnamed actors are acting in Slovakia and have been involved in protests in Ukraine’s Maidan uprising in 2014 and the current protests sweeping Georgia, following the elections at the end of last year.

Fico says these individuals are collaborating with domestic opposition groups to incite unrest, including the occupation of government buildings and efforts to destabilise the constitutional framework of the Slovak Republic.

"The situation is serious," Fico stated during a televised briefing following a State Security Council meeting on January 31. "We see a structure that is trying to attack the constitutional setup of the Slovak Republic," Reuters reports.

In response, Fico announced a clamp down and preventive security measures to deal with the public demonstrations, which he warned could escalate into attempts to overthrow the administration. These measures are anticipated to include heightened security protocols and increased monitoring of protest activities.

Opposition parties and civic organisations have vehemently denied the Prime Minister's accusations. Progressive Slovakia, the principal opposition party, has dismissed Fico's claims as "delusions" intended to suppress dissent and divert attention from internal governmental discord and policy shortcomings. They argue that the government's actions are simply a ruse to silence critics and avoid addressing pressing economic and social challenges.

Another mass rally is scheduled for the evening on January 31, as the crowds refuse to be cowed by Fico’s threats.