President: We Must Not Underestimate Threat of Stray Missiles Or Drones

Bratislava, 1 April (TASR) - The threat of a foreign missile or drone straying into our territory in the future, even if originally aimed at other targets, must not be underestimated, President Peter Pellegrini stated in a video posted on social media on Wednesday, adding that he has initiated a debate on introducing a so-called 'state of alert' into national legislation at the request of the Slovak Armed Forces. "Today, Slovakia only recognises a 'state of peace' or a 'state of war'. There's nothing in between. Our army faces a problem because, in peacetime, it cannot effectively carry out all the preventive measures for handling incidents safely, such as the potential crash of a stray drone or other objects heading towards our territory," stated Pellegrini. Pellegrini has convened a round table for next week, where top military brass will explain the required legislative changes to representatives of political parties. According to him, opposition politicians have also accepted the invitation. Rather than this issue turning into a battle between the opposition and coalition parties, he believes that all responsible politicians will join the effort to safeguard the security of the Slovak people. "I hope that an incident like the one which occurred today, within sight of the Slovak border, is a sufficiently strong argument for everyone to join a meaningful and professional debate," said Pellegrini. On Wednesday, the Slovak Armed Forces were informed by allies about the movement of a drone on Ukrainian territory near Slovakia's border, with the Ukrainian town of Perechyn reporting a drone attack that caused damage to an electrical substation. As the drone did not cross the designated line, no military assets were activated. After losing contact near the state border, the Slovak Armed Forces received confirmation that it crashed outside Slovak territory. jrg