Ukrainian officials say they have discovered a Hungarian spy network on its soil, accusing Budapest of collecting military intelligence with possible intentions to target Ukraine’s western territories. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said two Ukrainian military veterans were arrested and accused of being part of a spy ring headed by a Hungarian military intelligence officer.
The group gathered intelligence on military defenses and public opinion in western Ukraine, the SBU said. One of the suspects, a 40-year-old veteran from the Hungarian-majority town of Berehove, was allegedly recruited as a sleeper agent in 2021 and activated in 2024. He was allegedly paid in Hungary to supply sensitive information and recruit others into the spy network. High treason charges have been brought, which are punishable by a life sentence.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto responded to the allegations as “propaganda” and called for proof. He confirmed expelling two diplomats from Budapest, whom he branded “spies under diplomatic cover.
The accident puts further pressure on already strained relations between the two neighbors. Viktor Orban Prime Minister has stood in favor of neutrality on Russia-Ukraine crisis and frequently blamed Kyiv and opposed EU sanctions against Russia. His government also supports language rights for Ukraine’s 80,000 ethnic Hungarians, which frequently collides with Ukrainian policy.
Although Hungary has not made any formal territorial claims, the idea has surfaced in rhetoric from the far right and Russian state media, proposing a possible partition of Ukraine.
The allegations of spying come as suspicion mounts and national interests clash. Hungarian ethnic communities in Ukraine, situated between two capitals, remain in diplomatic limbo, with some feeling more cultural affinity with Budapest than Kyiv.
The alleged espionage may enhance regional suspicion and complicate efforts by Ukraine to keep international sympathy as it continues its war with Russia.
