Emotional Statement by Slovenia's President
Nataša Pirc Musar admitted responsibility for a traffic accident because she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, defended a friend labeled a 'Russian spy,' and called for an end to the media frenzy.
Nataša Pirc Musar admitted responsibility for a traffic accident because she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, defended a friend labeled a 'Russian spy,' and called for an end to the media frenzy.
Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar posted a lengthy, emotional message on Facebook on Monday, August 10, 2026, addressing the traffic accident from just over a week ago and the subsequent media attention. In a post titled "What Remains When the Noise Dies Down," she admitted her own responsibility, defended her friends, and called for an end to what she described as a witch hunt.
"My accident triggered a wave of speculation and a tsunami of misinformation. I naturally expected media attention, but nothing like what I've faced. To be honest, I don't know how to stop it," Pirc Musar wrote.
The President openly admitted that she was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, which led to her injury. "I paid for my stupidity-not being belted-with a broken collarbone. I'll also pay a fine for the offense," she said, adding that she finds it hard to understand why some members of the public even questioned whether she would pay the fine with her own money. "Of course I will," she responded.
While she believes her physical injuries will heal relatively quickly, she noted that "calming her soul" will take considerably more time.
She specifically addressed her two friends, Urška and Vika, who were in the car with her on the way to the Pogi Challenge event in Komenda. She stated that Vika, who holds both Slovenian and Russian citizenship, sustained more severe injuries than she did and then became the target of accusations.
"I feel especially sorry for Vika, who has even been labeled a Russian spy and who suffered more serious injuries than I did," Pirc Musar wrote. She emphasized that Vika has been her best friend for nearly 20 years and that the fact of her Russian citizenship was publicly known as early as the 2022 presidential campaign.
She added that Vika obtained Slovenian citizenship as a top athlete, in accordance with legal requirements, and underwent security screening during that process. "She stands by me, and I stand by her. I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. This witch hunt won't change that," she said.
Pirc Musar admitted that the whole situation makes her feel as though someone in her position is no longer allowed to have friends without prior security clearance. "I feel like I'm not allowed to have friends," she wrote, wondering if they've reached a point where any friend of hers risks ending up in the "mud pit" of media attacks.
She also dismissed suggestions that she should travel to private events in her own car, explaining that due to the way her security is organized, it's impractical for friends to travel separately. "What's interesting to the public isn't always in the public interest," she emphasized, invoking the right to privacy in a car.
She was particularly upset by reports that she could even face a constitutional complaint over the entire case. "The news that I might even face a constitutional complaint truly crossed all lines of good taste," she wrote.
Despite everything, she thanked citizens for their messages of support and her security detail, stressing that her trust in them remains firm. "I'm only human. It means a lot to know I'm not alone. My friends and my bodyguards are only human too. No one knows what they're going through these days. That's why I stand by them, and they stand by me," she concluded, adding that she regrets that in the race for ever more sensational headlines, "anything goes" these days.
