Tensions between Budapest and Kyiv, with spy charges

Hungary announced on Friday the expulsion of two Ukrainian diplomats, which states to be undercover spies, after earlier on the same day Ukraine announced the arrest in the Transcarpathian region of two people who accuse of spying in favor of Hungary.

« Today, I expelled from Hungary two spies working under diplomatic cover at the Ukraine Embassy in Budapest, » said Facebook Minister Peter Szijjarto on a video message.

The Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced on Friday earlier that it was arrested in Transcarpatia, a region with a large Hungarian minority, two alleged members of a spy network coordinated by the Hungarian Military Intelligence.

According to SBU, the cell was collecting information on military security in the Transcarpathian region, looking for vulnerabilities in the terrestrial and air defense of the region and studying the socio-political opinions’ of the local population.

One of the arrested persons is a former 40 -year -old Ukrainian military man, recruited by Hungarian secret services in 2021 and activated in September last year, says SBU.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister cataloged this announcement as an action that is part of Kiev’s anti-Hungarian propaganda. ‘If we receive official details or information, we will be able to deal with it. Until then, I consider this as propaganda to be treated with caution, « Peter Szijjarto reacted initially.

He added that the last three years have shown that the Ukraine war is partly a war of propaganda ‘, stressing that’ it is clear that Kiev often uses anti -magician propaganda.

Kiev and Budapest have tense relations due to the refusal of the Hungarian Conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban to support Ukraine in the War with Russia and the situation of about 150,000 Hungarian ethnic groups, whose rights are violated, according to the Hungarian government, who also stated that the Ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine have died on the front.

In June 2022, Russia transferred 11 prisoners of Ukrainian war prisoners to Hungary, this understanding of Budapest with Moscow causing Kiev irritation.

UPDATE The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday the expulsion of two Hungarian diplomats.

‘Two Hungarian diplomats must leave our country in 48 hours. I just summoned the Hungarian ambassador to the Ukraine Foreign Ministry and I presented the relevant note, « announced the Ukrainian Minister Andrii Sîbiga in a message on the social network X.

« We are thus responding to the actions of Hungary, based on the principle of reciprocity and national interests, » the Ukrainian minister added.