Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
After 16 years in power, Viktor Orban was ousted as the Hungarian Prime Minister.
Sunday, April 12, was a pivotal day in European history.
After 16 years in power, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost the election when his opponent, Peter Magyar, and his party, Tisza, secured 138 of the 199 seats in the Hungarian parliament.
Magyar is far more supportive of the European Union than Orban, who has repeatedly blocked legislation in the Union, as well as sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.
There is a good chance that Vladimir Putin is sitting somewhere in Russia, fuming over the result of the Hungarian election, as he has just lost his closest ally in the Union.
It wasn’t for lack of Russian efforts to get Orban reelected, though.
Disinformation linked to Russia
Euronews reported on April 10 that a viral story about Peter Magyar planning to reintroduce conscription (something his party has explicitly ruled out) could be linked to a Russian disinformation unit called Storm-156.
On April 8, The Kyiv Independent published a report on several similar misinformation campaigns, where fake news is being promoted online disguised as reports from established media.
On April 5, the BBC cited Viktor Orban as saying that a plot to blow up a key gas pipeline had been stopped after explosives had allegedly been found at the site.
Orban accused Ukraine of being behind it, but just days before the announcement, security experts had warned of a possible “false flag” operation intended to shift the blame onto Ukraine.
No evidence has been released linking the alleged explosives to either Kyiv, Budapest, or Moscow.
Way possibly paved for Ukrainian war loan
Magyar has not disclosed his policies regarding the war in Ukraine, but given his pro-EU stance, many European officials hope that the new Hungarian prime minister will pave the way for key political decisions.
Orban has been the only European head of state to block a €90 billion loan for Ukraine to support the country in its defense against the Russian invasion.
According to the European Parliament, €60 billion of the loan is allocated to strengthening Ukraine’s defense industry and the procurement of military equipment.
This could make Russia’s struggles in Ukraine even worse.
Already in trouble
As of April 13, 2026, Russia has lost more than 1.3 million troops in the war in Ukraine, according to estimates from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russian losses are accelerating, with March marking a new milestone in casualties, with more than 35,300 confirmed losses, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its April 9 update that although the Kremlin is promoting a narrative of inevitable Russian victory and repeated battlefield gains, the reality on the ground is very different.
ISW notes that recent evidence suggests that Russian forces are facing setbacks and that Ukrainian drone warfare has shifted the battlefield advantage in Ukraine’s favor.
This raises the question of how much more difficult the situation could become for the Russian army if Ukraine receives a €60 billion loan earmarked for its military.
Sources: Euronews, The Kyiv Independent, BBC, European Parliament, Institute for the Study of War
