Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in a central square in the Slovak capital on Friday, waving banners opposing Prime Minister Robert Fico's policy shift closer to Russia after tensions between the government and the opposition rose.

Ahead of planned pro-European protests in around 20 Slovak cities Friday, the pro-Moscow ruling coalition on Thursday used an emergency meeting of the country’s Security Council to address what it alleged was an “organized escalation” of domestic tensions directed from abroad.

Slovakia's Moscow-friendly prime minister has faced accusations by the country's largest opposition party of trying to take the country out of the EU. View on euronews

Slovakia's opposition accused Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday of laying the groundwork to take the country out of the European Union, but dropped its no-confidence motion to dismiss him and his leftist-nationalist government.