Intelligence failure: what the espionage scandal between Ukraine and Hungary will lead to

Relations between Ukraine and Hungary, which have long been very complicated, have been overshadowed by a new scandal. Kiev reported on the exposure of spies of a neighboring state, who allegedly prepared the ground for the invasion of Transcarpathia. As a result, the parties mutually expelled each other's diplomats, and Budapest again blocked the process of Ukraine's European integration. Izvestia investigated the situation.

A spy network has been uncovered in Ukraine

The Ukrainian special service of the SBU reported that for the first time in history it had exposed the Hungarian military intelligence network. It is emphasized that the members of the group collected information about the security of the Transcarpathian region, searched for vulnerabilities in ground and air defense systems, and studied the sentiments of local residents about the potential capture of the region by Hungarian troops.

One of the detainees turned out to be a 40-year-old native of Transcarpathia. According to the SBU, he was recruited back in 2021, for some time he was a "sleeper agent", in 2024 he was "activated". On the border territory, the man collected information about the deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the location of the S-300 air defense systems, transmitted data on losses and replenishment of the Ukrainian army to Budapest, and tried to recruit other agents.

It is alleged that the man traveled to Hungary at least twice for a personal meeting with the curator. To cross the border, he issued himself a fake guardian status for his sick father, who needs treatment abroad. "During the meeting, the supervisor handed him cash, as well as phones with special software for covert communication," the SBU said in a statement.

The second detainee was a retired Ukrainian servicewoman who retired from the armed forces in 2025. She transmitted information about her former unit and military airfields in Transcarpathia to Budapest. The SBU emphasizes that they have collected a lot of evidence of the guilt of the defendants, both are charged with treason and face life imprisonment.

At the same time, the secret service did not name the detainees. Transcarpathian journalist Vitaliy Galoga, citing his sources, claims that we are talking about two ethnic Hungarians. The first person involved is former Ukrainian border guard Robert Kovach, the second is a retired soldier of the Galician—Volyn Radio Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ekaterina Yovzan. Both have been detained for 60 days so far.

Hungary has expelled diplomats

Relations between Ukraine and Hungary have remained difficult for a long time. At first, Budapest violently protested against the Ukrainization of education in Transcarpathia, where about 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live. After the start of the special military operation, Viktor Orban's government also refused to support anti-Russian sanctions and blocked the allocation of financial and military assistance to Kiev.

The current scandal has provoked new heated discussions. For example, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called the SBU's message Ukrainian propaganda. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mate Patsolaj said Kiev was undermining Budapest's peace efforts. "They cannot accept that we do not allow ourselves to be dragged into a war, and that the Hungarian people have the right to decide on Ukraine's membership in the EU," he stressed.

In turn, the representative of the government of the country, Zoltan Kovacs, noted that Kiev was thus taking revenge on Budapest for refusing to supply weapons. According to him, Ukraine is coordinating its actions with the Hungarian opposition, including the Tisa party. "In the face of blatant attacks on our national sovereignty, Hungary will continue to expose any political forces working against us," he promised.

The rhetorical salvo was followed by practical solutions. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of two employees of the Ukrainian embassy. The head of the Ministry, Peter Szijjarto, called them spies who worked under diplomatic cover. Ukraine later announced that, on the principle of reciprocity, two employees of the Hungarian embassy would also be expelled from the country.

In addition, Hungarian security forces announced the detention of a Ukrainian spy in the center of Budapest. At the same time, the media reported that the detainee's name was Sergey Alexandrov, previously he was the first secretary of the Ukrainian embassy, recently he was considered a private individual, owned two restaurants in the Hungarian capital. Immediately after the arrest, the man was deported to his homeland — in Kiev, the incident was called a "witch hunt."

Finally, after the scandal, Hungary refused to negotiate on the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia. The consultations were supposed to take place on May 12 in Uzhhorod, the Ukrainian delegation had already arrived at the site and learned about the cancellation at the last moment. Dialogue in this format is extremely important for Kiev — without it, Budapest refuses to withdraw its veto on Ukraine's admission to the European Union.

Following the results of the incident, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanyshina expressed the hope that after some time the negotiation format would revive. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto responded by saying that the differences were fundamental. "This is due to the fact that we have clearly outlined our position on the ongoing war. We are not sending weapons and money, and we do not want to end our energy cooperation with Russia. We also do not support Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU," he stressed.

What the experts say

Vadim Trukhachev, a political scientist and associate professor at the Russian State University of Economics, believes that the reason for the differences between the two countries is the same.

— This is not a gas, not a peaceful atom, not something else. The main thing is that ethnic Hungarians are being oppressed in Ukraine. They are not only deprived of the right to study in their native language, but also sent to die somewhere thousands of kilometers from home. Viktor Orban, being a healthy Hungarian nationalist, cannot afford to support a country where his fellow tribesmen are treated like this. It is also worth noting that Orban's main rival in the domestic political arena, the pro-Western Atlanticist Peter Magyar, takes the same position and also demands that Ukraine respect the rights of Hungarians. That is, even with a hypothetical change of power, nothing will change for Kiev," he argues.

Dmitry Zhuravlev, a researcher at the Institute of Regional Problems, also believes that everything depends on the situation of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

— Budapest is very offended that there are up to 200,000 tribesmen living in a neighboring country who do not have cultural and national rights. As a result, Viktor Orban's government came to a simple position: everything that is good for Ukraine is bad for Hungary and vice versa. In fact, Kiev could well create a national-territorial autonomy in Transcarpathia, this would remove many issues, make Hungary an ally, but they are not going to do this," he notes.