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Ukrainian authorities discover Hungarian spy network on border
Ukraine has uncovered a network of Hungarian spies in the border region who wanted to collect defense secrets. Two agents have been arrested as diplomatic tensions rise.
Ukrainian authorities discover Hungarian spy network on border
On Friday, Ukraine announced that it had exposed a network of Hungarian spies operating in the border area of the Ukraine attempted to obtain defense secrets. This is the first time such an operational incident has been revealed.
Arrests and allegations
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it had arrested two Hungarian intelligence agents who were reportedly reporting to a superior in Hungarian military intelligence and were looking for vulnerabilities in ground and air defenses in the southwestern Zakarpattia region, which borders Hungary.
“Comprehensive measures are currently being taken to bring all members of the Hungarian intelligence network to justice,” the statement said.
Reactions from Hungary
The Hungarian government responded to the arrests by expelling two employees of the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on his Facebook page that two spies who had been working at the embassy "under diplomatic cover" were ordered to leave the country.
Political tensions between Ukraine and Hungary
Ukraine and Hungary have a tense relationship over the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and Ukraine's accession to the EU. Hungary has also frequently criticized European sanctions against Moscow. In addition, the Hungarian government has often pointed out that the ethnic Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia is discriminated against.
Propaganda and conflict
"The last three years have shown that the war in Ukraine is being fought not only on the battlefield, but also in the information space. Anti-Hungarian propaganda is often used without any factual basis," Szijjarto said in a post on X in response to the arrests.
He added: "If we get details or official information, we can deal with it. Until then, I have to classify this as propaganda that needs to be treated with caution." He stressed that Hungary would not give in to diversionary tactics and warned that “anti-Hungarian propaganda has increased since the beginning of the war.”
Ukraine espionage allegations
The SBU explained that the Hungarian spies were tasked with collecting information on military security and studying residents' views and "behavioral scenarios" should Hungarian troops invade Zakarpattia.
A man from Berehove in Zakarpattia, recruited in 2021 and “activated” in September last year, is accused of collecting information about the locations of Ukrainian defense systems, including the S-300 missile defense system in the region. He was also accused of recruiting two other men to create a “network of informants.”
Historical backgrounds
The Zakarpattia region remained part of Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was once part of the former Kingdom of Hungary and later Czechoslovakia. According to a census in 2001, just over 150,000 ethnic Hungarians lived in the region, but the number is said to have fallen sharply since then.
Last year, representatives of the Hungarian-speaking community criticized a Ukrainian draft law that sought to restrict the use of the Hungarian language in schools by only allowing it for classroom activities and not outside the classroom.
Disputes over citizenship
The two countries also had disagreements over Hungary's 2011 decision to relax its naturalization procedures and grant citizenship to anyone who speaks Hungarian and has Hungarian ancestors - even if they have never set foot in the country. Since then, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been issued Hungarian passports, even though Ukraine does not allow dual citizenship.
Orban and the EU
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has rejected Ukraine's EU accession in part because he claims ethnic Hungarians face discrimination in western Ukraine. Orban maintained good relations with Moscow throughout the conflict and spoke out against the growing number of EU sanctions against Russia as well as the EU's aid packages for Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Orban said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wanted to “pumb more billions into Ukraine, drag Europe deeper into a losing war and push a bankrupt state into the EU.” “Hungary will not agree to this,” said Orban.