For a time it looked as though the pro-Europe Progressive Slovakia party would win the parliamentary election, even on the election night itself. During the campaign, party leader Michal Simecka even had to defend himself against fake videos in which he allegedly called for a hike in beer prices.

As the evening progressed though, the tide turned, and Robert Fico's left-wing nationalist SMER party came through to win the majority. Fico had repeatedly questioned Slovak aid to Ukraine, and had criticized the European Union while seeking proximity to Russia. Apparently, that was what tipped the scales.

In her report, DW Brussels bureau chief Alexandra von Nahmen shows how strongly the election in Slovakia was influenced by pro-Russian disinformation, warning that other European countries should be prepared to counter similar strategies.