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CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine says it has uncovered Hungarian spy network working in border region
Ukraine said Friday it had exposed a network of Hungarian spies trying to obtain defense secrets in a border region of Ukraine – the first time it said such an operation has been discovered. The Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) said it had detained two Hungarian special services agents, whom it claims were reporting to a handler in Hungarian military intelligence and were looking for ground and air defense vulnerabilities in the southwestern Zakarpattia region, which borders Hungary. 'Comprehensive measures are currently underway to bring all members of the Hungarian intelligence network to justice,' said the statement. Hungary responded to the arrests by expelling two of the staff at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on his Facebook page that two spies who had been working 'under diplomatic cover' at the embassy were being ordered to leave. Ukraine and Hungary are at odds over the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and Ukrainian accession to the European Union. Hungary has also criticized European sanctions against Moscow. The Hungarian government has also frequently complained that the ethnic Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia is discriminated against. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto responded to the arrests by posting on X: 'The past 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 told reporters: 'If we receive any details or official information, then we will be able to deal with this. Until then, I must classify this as propaganda that must be handled with caution.' Ukraine's SBU said the Hungarian spies were tasked with gathering information about the military security and studying the views of residents and 'behavior scenarios' if Hungarian troops entered Zakarpattia. The SBU alleged that one man from Berehove in Zakarpattia was recruited in 2021 and 'activated' last September. It accused him of collecting information on the location of Ukrainian defense systems, including its S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in the region. It also alleged he had attempted to recruit two other men as he tried to establish a 'network of informants.' The second person detained, a woman who left her unit in Ukraine's Security and Defense Forces this year, had been tasked with informing the Hungarian special services about the defense systems of her unit and informing on the presence of aircraft and helicopters in the Zakarpattia region, the SBU claimed. The Zakarpattia region stayed part of Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The region 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 widely thought to have declined since then. Last year, representatives of the Hungarian-speaking community criticized a draft Ukrainian law that would have restricted the use of Hungarian in schools by allowing it to be used only in classroom activities and not outside classroom settings. The two countries had disagreements over Hungary's 2011 decision to relax its naturalization procedures and allow anyone who can speak Hungarian and has Hungarian ancestry to gain citizenship – even if they have never stepped a foot in the country. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians were granted Hungarian passports since then, despite Ukraine not allowing dual citizenship. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU in part because of claims that ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine face discrimination. Orban has remained on good terms with Moscow throughout the conflict and has opposed the growing raft of EU sanctions against Russia as well as EU aid packages for Ukraine. On Wednesday, Orban said EU President Ursula von der Leyen 'wants to pour further billions into Ukraine, pull Europe further into a losing war, and rush a bankrupt state into the EU.' 'Hungary won't go along with this,' he said.
CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine says it has uncovered Hungarian spy network working in border region
Ukraine said Friday it had exposed a network of Hungarian spies trying to obtain defense secrets in a border region of Ukraine – the first time it said such an operation has been discovered. The Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) said it had detained two Hungarian special services agents, whom it claims were reporting to a handler in Hungarian military intelligence and were looking for ground and air defense vulnerabilities in the southwestern Zakarpattia region, which borders Hungary. 'Comprehensive measures are currently underway to bring all members of the Hungarian intelligence network to justice,' said the statement. Hungary responded to the arrests by expelling two of the staff at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on his Facebook page that two spies who had been working 'under diplomatic cover' at the embassy were being ordered to leave. Ukraine and Hungary are at odds over the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and Ukrainian accession to the European Union. Hungary has also criticized European sanctions against Moscow. The Hungarian government has also frequently complained that the ethnic Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia is discriminated against. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto responded to the arrests by posting on X: 'The past 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 told reporters: 'If we receive any details or official information, then we will be able to deal with this. Until then, I must classify this as propaganda that must be handled with caution.' Ukraine's SBU said the Hungarian spies were tasked with gathering information about the military security and studying the views of residents and 'behavior scenarios' if Hungarian troops entered Zakarpattia. The SBU alleged that one man from Berehove in Zakarpattia was recruited in 2021 and 'activated' last September. It accused him of collecting information on the location of Ukrainian defense systems, including its S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in the region. It also alleged he had attempted to recruit two other men as he tried to establish a 'network of informants.' The second person detained, a woman who left her unit in Ukraine's Security and Defense Forces this year, had been tasked with informing the Hungarian special services about the defense systems of her unit and informing on the presence of aircraft and helicopters in the Zakarpattia region, the SBU claimed. The Zakarpattia region stayed part of Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The region 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 widely thought to have declined since then. Last year, representatives of the Hungarian-speaking community criticized a draft Ukrainian law that would have restricted the use of Hungarian in schools by allowing it to be used only in classroom activities and not outside classroom settings. The two countries had disagreements over Hungary's 2011 decision to relax its naturalization procedures and allow anyone who can speak Hungarian and has Hungarian ancestry to gain citizenship – even if they have never stepped a foot in the country. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians were granted Hungarian passports since then, despite Ukraine not allowing dual citizenship. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU in part because of claims that ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine face discrimination. Orban has remained on good terms with Moscow throughout the conflict and has opposed the growing raft of EU sanctions against Russia as well as EU aid packages for Ukraine. On Wednesday, Orban said EU President Ursula von der Leyen 'wants to pour further billions into Ukraine, pull Europe further into a losing war, and rush a bankrupt state into the EU.' 'Hungary won't go along with this,' he said.
CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Ukraine says it has uncovered Hungarian spy network working in border region
Ukraine said Friday it had exposed a network of Hungarian spies trying to obtain defense secrets in a border region of Ukraine – the first time it said such an operation has been discovered. The Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) said it had detained two Hungarian special services agents, whom it claims were reporting to a handler in Hungarian military intelligence and were looking for ground and air defense vulnerabilities in the southwestern Zakarpattia region, which borders Hungary. 'Comprehensive measures are currently underway to bring all members of the Hungarian intelligence network to justice,' said the statement. Hungary responded to the arrests by expelling two of the staff at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on his Facebook page that two spies who had been working 'under diplomatic cover' at the embassy were being ordered to leave. Ukraine and Hungary are at odds over the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and Ukrainian accession to the European Union. Hungary has also criticized European sanctions against Moscow. The Hungarian government has also frequently complained that the ethnic Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia is discriminated against. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto responded to the arrests by posting on X: 'The past 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 told reporters: 'If we receive any details or official information, then we will be able to deal with this. Until then, I must classify this as propaganda that must be handled with caution.' Ukraine's SBU said the Hungarian spies were tasked with gathering information about the military security and studying the views of residents and 'behavior scenarios' if Hungarian troops entered Zakarpattia. The SBU alleged that one man from Berehove in Zakarpattia was recruited in 2021 and 'activated' last September. It accused him of collecting information on the location of Ukrainian defense systems, including its S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in the region. It also alleged he had attempted to recruit two other men as he tried to establish a 'network of informants.' The second person detained, a woman who left her unit in Ukraine's Security and Defense Forces this year, had been tasked with informing the Hungarian special services about the defense systems of her unit and informing on the presence of aircraft and helicopters in the Zakarpattia region, the SBU claimed. The Zakarpattia region stayed part of Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The region 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 widely thought to have declined since then. Last year, representatives of the Hungarian-speaking community criticized a draft Ukrainian law that would have restricted the use of Hungarian in schools by allowing it to be used only in classroom activities and not outside classroom settings. The two countries had disagreements over Hungary's 2011 decision to relax its naturalization procedures and allow anyone who can speak Hungarian and has Hungarian ancestry to gain citizenship – even if they have never stepped a foot in the country. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians were granted Hungarian passports since then, despite Ukraine not allowing dual citizenship. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU in part because of claims that ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine face discrimination. Orban has remained on good terms with Moscow throughout the conflict and has opposed the growing raft of EU sanctions against Russia as well as EU aid packages for Ukraine. On Wednesday, Orban said EU President Ursula von der Leyen 'wants to pour further billions into Ukraine, pull Europe further into a losing war, and rush a bankrupt state into the EU.' 'Hungary won't go along with this,' he said.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine says it has busted Hungarian spy ring collecting military data
Ukrainian authorities claim to have busted a Hungarian spy ring operating on its territory, alleging that Budapest was collecting sensitive military data with one eye on a possible future incursion into the west of the country. Hungary's foreign minister dismissed the accusations as 'propaganda', but the allegations will further test already fraught relations between the two neighbouring countries. While Hungary is a member of Nato and the EU, its prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has been an outlier among European leaders, strongly critical of Kyiv and neutral towards Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it had detained two Ukrainian military veterans as part of the operation, and claimed the network had engaged in the collection of information on military defences in the western part of Ukraine as well as sentiment among the local population. It published a video interrogation of one of the detainees in handcuffs, with his face blurred. The SBU said the spy ring was run by a 'staff officer of Hungarian military intelligence' and that the operation was designed to uncover information about vulnerabilities in Ukraine's defence of western regions. It claimed that one of the detainees, a 40-year-old veteran from the western Ukrainian town of Berehove, which has a majority ethnic Hungarian population, had been recruited in 2021 as a sleeper agent. It said he was 'activated' by a handler in 2024 and asked to collect information. It alleged that at a meeting in Hungary the man received cash payment for providing information, as well as to help recruit more people to the network of informants. 'By forming an agent network, foreign intelligence hoped to expand the range of information collection, including obtaining data from frontline and frontline regions,' the SBU said. The two detained suspects face charges of high treason, which could result in life imprisonment. Speaking at a press conference in Budapest, the foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, said Hungary had not been presented with any evidence to back up the claims: 'If we receive any details or official information, then we will be able to deal with this. Until then, I must classify this as propaganda that must be handled with caution.' An estimated 80,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Ukraine's western Zakarpattia region. The language rights of the region's people have long been a bone of contention: Orbán's nationalist government says Kyiv does not make proper provisions for them to speak Hungarian in schools, while Ukraine has accused Orbán of instrumentalising the community as an excuse to follow Russian talking points about Ukraine and the war. Orbán has spoken out against continued sanctions on Russia and promised to block Ukraine's EU accession route. Last summer, he infuriated other EU leaders when he visited Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, shortly after Hungary took over the rotating EU presidency. Although no Hungarian government official has spoken openly about trying to seize territory from Ukraine, it is sometimes a topic of far-right discussion in the country. Russian state television has also frequently suggested Ukraine could fall apart, with Russia taking over the east of the country and Poland and Hungary dividing the western part. In some Hungarian-majority villages, the clocks are set to Budapest time and the most popular television channel is the Hungarian government-controlled M1, which often sharply criticises Ukrainian authorities and parrots Russian narratives. Many local people say they feel closer to Budapest than to Kyiv. László Zubánics, a history professor and the head of the Hungarian Democratic Federation in Ukraine, said in 2023 that it was a stereotype that ethnic Hungarians were not Ukrainian patriots, and said up to 400 were then fighting on the frontline and about 30 had been killed in action. However, he admitted that for many in the community, trying to balance the competing demands of Budapest and Kyiv was 'like trying to dance along a tightrope'.
