Vladimir Putin will be "greatly worried" following the attempted assassination of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, an expert has said.

International war expert Professor Anthony Glees claims the Russian president will now "think twice" after his "mini-me" was shot five times while leaving a government meeting.

The Prime Minister of Slovakia remains in a serious condition after suffering injuries to the stomach, leg and arm.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said the shooter had previously taken part in anti-government protests.

Fico's critics say new reforms threaten the rule of law and media freedoms in Slovakia, a member state of the European Union and Nato.

His calls for ending sanctions on Russia and halting arms supplies to Ukraine have endeared him to Moscow as President Putin and other Russian politicians have been prominent among those condemning the assassination attempt.

Expert Glees said the threat will have been felt across Moscow.

"The attempted assassination of Fico will have greatly worried Putin because the perpetrator hid himself in a small group of ardent Fico fans – and it was therefore hard to offer Fico any protection – and because Fico was a Putin mini-me, which is why the would-be assassin wanted to have a go at him," he told the Daily Star.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Gunman who shot Slovakian PM is 71-year-old poet with 'links to pro-Russian paramilitary'Zelensky cancels foreign trips and pulls back troops as Russia launches HUGE offensivePutin recruiting far-right thugs to carry out terror attacks in UK as revenge for aiding Ukraine

"Putin, as we saw from his recent re-coronation, loves to be surrounded by adoring acolytes and chums.

"He may now have to think twice about that."

Following the shooting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia: "Naturally, we condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. We consider it absolutely unacceptable - this is really a great tragedy.

"We hope that Mr Fico will be able to pull through and recover as soon as possible. We wish him a speedy recovery."

Just 24 hours after the incident, Putin travelled to China to meet ally Xi Jinping.

On Thursday the duo pledged a "new era" of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States.

Speaking about Putin's security in China, Glees added: "Alas the chances of anyone getting him in China's highly developed secret police state are exceedingly slim. No one would get within five kilometres of him.

"Whilst (Yevgheny) Prigozhin was alive, there was a thought he might be able to shoot Putin's jet out off the sky, but as we all know Putin turned the tables on him and it was Prigo who fell to Earth."