Ukraine has accused Hungary of operating a spy ring inside the country, after its security forces arrested two people in the Zakarpattia region. The SBU intelligence service alleged the two were trying to obtain information about Ukraine’s defences near the shared border with Hungary for their paymasters in Budapest.
In a statement the SBU said: “For the first time in Ukraine’s history, the Security Service has exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network that was conducting espionage activities to the detriment of our state.” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the allegations “should be treated carefully as propaganda until such time as we receive any details or official information”.
However, he did not deny the allegations outright but later said two Ukrainian diplomats had been expelled from Budapest.
A European politician called for the EU and Nato to take action against Hungary, if the charges were proven to be true.
Thijs Reuten, a Dutch MEP, wrote on his X social media page: “If confirmed, it shows that Hungary is not neutral but sides with Russia’s aggression.
“How is this not direct undermining of Ukraine’s legitimate right of self defence?
“EU and @NATO must act now. #article7 @kajakallas.”
According to the SBU, the spy ring was established by Hungary’s military intelligence and was instructed to collect information about the location and the number of air defence systems in the western Zakarpattia region.
Additionally the alleged spies were tasked with gaging what public reaction would likely be in the event of a Hungarian military incursion into the border region.
Zakarpattia is the western region of Ukraine that shares an 84-mile (137km) border with Hungary.
The detained suspects – one man and one woman – are reported to be former members of Ukraine’s military and were alleged to be working under the supervision of a Hungarian intelligence officer.
The man had crossed the border into Hungary to report to his controller and received money and a communication device in return, the SBU said.
Ukraine’s Interfax news agency said the pair have been taken into custody at their homes.
A search of their homes uncovered phones and other evidence implicating them as spies.
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, with Viktor Orbán’s government accusing Kyiv of banning Hungarian from being used in local schools.