Slovenian media report on President Pirc Musar's alleged Russia ties
Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Slovenian media are reporting on alleged ties between President Nataša Pirc Musar and Russia, stemming from a car accident involving her and a Russian-Slovenian friend.
- The friend, Viktorija Krivolucka, reportedly has past connections to a former Slovenian intelligence official who moved to Russia.
- Media reports suggest Pirc Musar and Krivolucka traveled to Russia multiple times between 2015 and early 2022, prompting calls for a halt to her access to classified information.
Slovenian media outlets are intensely scrutinizing President Nataša Pirc Musar over alleged connections to Russia, a scandal that emerged following a car accident in late July. The incident occurred in the Kastelec tunnel, where the president was injured while traveling with her long-time friend, Viktorija Krivolucka, a dual Russian-Slovenian citizen.
The cabinet of the president sharply denied all accusations and emphasized that Nataša Pirc Musar never met Jeglič.
Investigations by the newspaper Dnevnik and the Austrian agency APA have reportedly uncovered that Krivolucka was previously associated with Roman Jeglič, a former deputy head of Slovenia's VIS intelligence service who relocated to Russia in the 1990s. Media reports further allege that Pirc Musar and Krivolucka made at least seven trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg between 2015 and early 2022. These journeys included visits during New Year's holidays shortly before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
These revelations have prompted a strong reaction from the political sphere. Žan Mahnič, a member of the ruling Slovenian Democratic Party, has formally requested the government to immediately suspend the president's access to secret and security reports, citing suspicions of her connection to Russian intelligence networks.
Krivolucka rejected claims that she worked for any intelligence service in an interview with Mladina.
The president's office has vehemently denied all accusations, asserting that Nataša Pirc Musar has never met Jeglič. Krivolucka, in an interview with Mladina, also rejected claims of working for any intelligence service. The Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency (Sova) stated that no security risks were identified during a check of Krivolucka's citizenship in 2016. Nevertheless, the parliamentary committee overseeing intelligence services has scheduled an urgent session to address the matter.
The Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency - Sova announced that when checking her citizenship in 2016, it did not identify any security risks.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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