MOD is alerting the public to a change in public access to military districts

To deliver defence and security tasks effectively and efficiently, the Ministry of Defence is alerting the public to a change in public access to military districts. As of 12 March 2022, there will be a temporary ban on public access to the Valaškovce Military District, while the Záhorie Military District remains open to the public.

At the same time, the MOD calls on members of the public to abide by existing legislation whereby access to the military districts' closed or fenced-off areas is strictly prohibited, as is the production of sketches, maps, photos and videos of defence infrastructure sites.

The no access ban is also applicable to the buildings and facilities across the military districts under the remit of the Ministry of Defence and the Slovak Armed Forces, to include defence establishments, training facilities, command and control towers, checkpoints, logistics depots, warehouses, logistics infrastructure, on-site security systems, munitions depots, equipment storage depots, drinking water sources, water tanks, and other pieces of infrastructure.

The MOD recommends that no photos or videos of such facilities should be taken or released in public domain. Not only will such action amount to a breach of law, but the success of the tasks undertaken by the Slovak Armed Forces and other security forces could otherwise be compromised.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “I can understand that military districts enjoy great popularity for recreational and tourism purposes. Nevertheless, I want to remind everyone that they were established as sites of special regime with public access restrictions. Therefore, their focus first and foremost is on training the elements tasked with delivering the defence of the State.”

For the above reasons, the SVK MOD has suspended issuing approvals for those who want to take pictures or videos across Slovakia's military districts until further notice.