[REVISION HISTORY]

Slovakia security transparency and Russian equipment

Updated 12 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-25 09:56 UTC → 2026-09-06 10:41 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The scandal began when the political party Progressive Slovakia raised suspicions that new traffic cameras purchased from Soitron for nearly 200,000 EUR were of Russian origin. While the Ministry of Interior initially denied these claims, citing a Cypriot shell company named Sodasus as the manufacturer, General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka later ordered a criminal investigation into the procurement process. Following a security analysis by the National Security Authority (NBÚ), the Ministry of Interior ordered the removal of the devices, which were in a testing phase. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok accused Soitron of misleading the ministry regarding the equipment’s origins and subsequently terminated cooperation with the firm. Soitron’s CEO, Ondrej Smolár, denied any intentional deception. The ~~situation intensified when it was revealed that the pilot program was funded by the EU Recovery Plan. The~~ NBÚ identified approximately 260 security flaws, confirming that the NERO R-ONE cameras were actually Russian-made CORDON PRO.M ~~hardware.~~ hardware from Simicon. Technical investigations uncovered critical vulnerabilities, including undocumented 3G/4G modules, hardcoded root account passwords, and unencrypted video streams. Most notably, investigators found 12 pre-configured Russian telephone numbers that could allow unauthorized remote access, such as restarting devices via SMS. The incident has triggered a political crisis, with opposition members calling for the Minister’s resignation and filing criminal complaints. While Prime Minister Robert Fico has defended the Minister, the Office for Personal Data Protection is investigating potential data leaks. In response to the controversy, Minister Šutaj Eštok announced personnel changes, including the departure of the director of the applications department and a project manager. The ministry stated that the cameras were returned and the funds were recovered, and it now plans to automate its procurement system to ensure future transparency.

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