A political and security controversy has erupted in Slovenia following reports alleging that people close to President Nataša Pirc Musar have had connections to individuals previously linked to Russian intelligence structures.
Pirc Musar has categorically denied any cooperation or involvement with Russian intelligence.
At the center of the controversy is Viktorija Krivolucka, a Russian-born Slovenian citizen and longtime friend of the president. Her name drew renewed attention after Pirc Musar was involved in a road accident on July 31, when it emerged that Krivolucka had been traveling in the same vehicle.
According to Slovenian media reports, Krivolucka obtained Slovenian citizenship in 2016 after undergoing checks by police and Slovenia’s Intelligence and Security Agency (SOVA), according to Dnevnik.
Reports by Dnevnik and Austria’s APA news agency have also linked Krivolucka to Roman Jeglič, a former deputy head of Slovenia’s former intelligence service VIS who later moved to Russia.
The reports further state that Pirc Musar and Krivolucka traveled together to Russia several times before Pirc Musar became president.
The controversy has reached parliament. SDS lawmaker Žan Mahnič has called on the government to temporarily suspend the transmission of intelligence and security reports to the president and her office, while requesting a counterintelligence risk assessment.
The president’s office has rejected allegations that Pirc Musar was involved in a Russian espionage network, describing the claims as false.
The office said Pirc Musar does not personally know Jeglič and has never met him, while claiming that Krivolucka has had no contact with Jeglič for more than 15 years.
Despite the denials, the case has triggered a wider debate in Slovenia over the security of classified information and the private contacts of senior state officials.
So far, however, no public evidence has been presented showing that President Pirc Musar herself cooperated with Russian intelligence.
