PS Calls on Defence Minister Kalinak to Resign Due to Incident at Arms Factory

Bratislava, 26 March (TASR) - Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) should resign from his post for failing to adequately protect military facilities and compounds, the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party stated on Thursday, citing reports that young YouTubers infiltrated a state-owned arms factory in the town of Dubnica nad Vahom in Trencin region for several hours. Head of the parliamentary committee overseeing the activities of Military Intelligence Tomas Valasek (PS) has announced a special committee meeting on this issue. It was Pravda daily that first reported about YouTubers wandering around the state-owned Dubnica-based facility. "This concerns state-owned company ZTS-Special and its premises. The facility primarily manufactures cannons, guns and howitzers, but it's also begun producing mortars. YouTubers trespassed onto these premises and spent several hours there, on premises that are supposed to be among the most heavily guarded," PS head Michal Simecka told a press conference on Thursday. According to PS's information, this isn't the first instance of unauthorised outsiders trespassing on military facilities. "These intrusions have occurred in the past as well. Despite this, the Defence Ministry has failed to take corrective action and protect our armouries and facilities where weapons are manufactured and stored," stated Simecka, adding that the defence minister must immediately accept political responsibility and resign. Pravda daily reported on Thursday that it had come across videos of two Youtubers who were moving freely across the arms factory compound and reportedly made their way to howitzers through underground corridors. am/df