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 populist prime minister, Robert Fico, has claimed opposition forces are planning a "Maidan"-style coup in Slovakia, referring to the popular uprising that toppled Ukraine's pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014.

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.

Slovakia’s opposition called for an investigation into Prime Minister Robert Fico’s administration for potentially misusing the intelligence service to suppress political adversaries and civil society.

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

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's administration plans measures to prevent long-running public protests from escalating into attempts at overthrowing the government, citing intelligence showing opponents seeking to gain power.