PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Ukrainian intelligence has arrested two people they accuse of spying for Hungary and attempting to find out if ethnic Hungarians in the country would favor Hungarian military intervention.
👥 Who’s Involved: Hungary, Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), two unnamed alleged spies, Hungarian Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Relations Zoltán Kovács.
📍 Where & When: Ukraine announced the arrests on May 9.
💬 Key Quote: “It is unprecedented in the country’s recent history that a domestic political actor would work in tandem with the intelligence services of a neighboring state.” — Zoltán Kovács.
⚠️ Impact: The allegations further inflame tensions between the two countries, which have been brewing since well before the start of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine in 2022.
IN FULL:
The Ukrainian government has accused Hungary of spying on its territory and allegedly trying to determine if ethnic Hungarians in the country would support an invasion by the Hungarian army. The claims have been fiercely dismissed by Hungarian authorities, who have linked the allegations to one of their country’s main opposition parties.
Media in Ukraine reported on May 9 that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had uncovered the alleged Hungarian spy ring operating in the Transcarpathia region, home to many ethnic Hungarians. Hungary lost the territory to Ukraine following the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Trianon.
The SBU arrested two Ukrainian citizens, who they alleged were seeking to find out if the locals would support an invasion by the Hungarian military to reclaim the land. SBU spokesman Artem Dekhtaryenko claimed the pair also collected information on Ukrainian military units and installations and tracked local government officials.
Hungarian Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Relations Zoltán Kovács dismissed the accusations as “political theater” in a blog post on May 9. Instead, he linked the accusations to what he called a “growing coordination” between Ukrainian intelligence and Hungary’s main opposition party, Tisza.
“It is unprecedented in the country’s recent history that a domestic political actor would work in tandem with the intelligence services of a neighboring state. This partnership, aimed at discrediting Hungary’s national security structures, amounts to an attack on sovereignty from within,” he said.
In response to the accusations, Hungary has expelled two Ukrainian diplomats who claim they are spies. Kovács stated that Hungary’s refusal to arm Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia made the country a target and said potential coordination between Tizsa and Ukrainian intelligence was “destabilizing.”
Hungary has clashed repeatedly with Ukraine since well before the full-scale war with Russia began in 2022. For instance, Hungary has accused Ukraine of forcing ethnic Hungarians to study only in Ukrainian at schools and generally repressing them, as well as cutting off Russian gas to Hungary proper. Ukraine, in turn, has been angered by Hungary refusing to allow weapons shipments to Ukraine via its territory and scrutinizing European Union (EU) aid.
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