SLOVAKIA'S pro-Putin prime minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was gunned down in a brazen assassination attempt.
Horrifying footage captured the moment the politician, 59, was shot at five times by an alleged 71-year-old attacker.
One bullet hit Fico in his abdomen with the country's defence minister Robert Kalinak saying his condition is "extraordinarily serious" earlier today.
Kalinak said the PM was suffering from"serious trauma" and that the "situation is bad," as he underwent three-hour emergency surgery.
Fico is still said to be battling for his life in hospital but he is expected to survive his injuries, according to Slovakia's deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba.
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Taraba said: "Fortunately as far as I know the operation went well - and I guess in the end he will survive.
"He's not in a life threatening situation at this moment."
The terrifying video caught the moment the shots rang out as people screamed and Fico's bodyguards leapt over the barriers to pin the shooter down.
Moments later the suspected assassin was filmed being overpowered and detained by security forces and bystanders.
Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova condemned the "brutal and ruthless" attack, calling the shooting on her political partner an "attack on democracy".
Slovakian interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok labelled the shocking event as the "saddest moment" in Slovakia's 31-year history.
He echoed the president's thoughts saying: "An attack on Slovakia is an attack on democracy, on the state itself."
The incident took place in the town of Handlova, some 100 miles northeast of the capital of Bratislava, where the pro-Russian PM had come to meet with supporters.
Local media has identified the suspect as Juraj C, a 71-year-old Slovakian from the town of Lavice.
Footage then showed Fico being carried and then bungled into a car, flanked by his bodyguards, and driven away at speed.
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After receiving "urgent" treatment in Handlova, the PM was then airlifted to Banska Bystrica as it would take "too long" to get to the capital, a statement from his office said.
The motive behind the shooting is not yet known.
A witness told news outlet Dennik N that she heard three to four shots and saw Fico fall to the ground with wounds to his head and chest.
President Zuzana Caputova has condemned the "brutal and ruthless" attack on the premier.
"Police have detained the attacker and as soon as possible will give more information," she added, calling the shooting on her political opponent an "attack on democracy".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "shocked" by the "awful news" that Slovakian counterpart had been shot.
"All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family," he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assassination attempt on his neighbouring state's leader "appalling".
He said: "Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere."
Elsewhere there were reactions of shock from across Europe and stern condemnations of political violence.
Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas branded the shooting an "attack against the very idea of democracy", while Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said he was both "shocked and appalled".
Fico returned to power in Slovakia last September for the third time as the head of a populist-nationalist coalition.
But his first few months as prime minister has proved controversial.
In January, he halted military aid to Ukraine, insisting life in Kyiv was "absolutely normal" and there was no war.
He asked: "You seriously think there is war in Kyiv? You are joking, please, I hope you are not being serious.
"Go there and you will find out there is normal life in the city, absolutely normal life."
Fico's campaign call of "Not a single round" for Ukraine appealed to voters in the Nato nation of 5.5million where only a minority believe Russia is at fault for the Ukraine war.
During a three-decade career, Fico has weaved between pro-European mainstream to nationalistic anti-Nato and anti-American positions.
Yet, for the last few years he has embraced a more extreme position, appealing to a growing anti-western and pro-Russian sentiment in his country.
Fico, who analysts see inspired by Hungary's Viktor Orban, has said he has Slovak interests at heart and wants the war to end.
Thousands have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest Ficos policies, including an unpopular media law that critics say undermine impartiality.
At a press conference following the shooting, MP Lubos Blaha from Fico's Smer party lashed out against his critics.
"You, the liberal media, and progressive politicians are to blame. Robert Fico is fighting for his life because of your hatred," Blaha said.
