Mathias Busekist
Ukraine said Friday it had exposed a network of Hungarian spies trying to obtain defense secrets.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced Friday it had uncovered a Hungarian spy network operating in the southwestern Zakarpattia region, detaining two individuals accused of attempting to collect sensitive military intelligence. This marks the first time Ukraine has publicly claimed to have exposed such an operation linked to Hungary.
According to the SBU, the detained individuals—allegedly working under the direction of Hungarian military intelligence—were gathering information on Ukrainian ground and air defense systems, particularly around Zakarpattia, which borders Hungary. The agency said one man from Berehove had been recruited in 2021 and began operating actively in 2024, while the second suspect, a woman and former member of Ukraine’s defense forces, was allegedly feeding classified data to Hungarian handlers.
“The network was aimed at identifying vulnerabilities in our defense and assessing public sentiment in the event of a potential Hungarian incursion,” the SBU stated. Investigations into additional suspects are ongoing.
The revelation has led to a swift diplomatic fallout. In retaliation, Hungary expelled two Ukrainian embassy staff in Budapest, accusing them of conducting espionage under diplomatic cover. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó dismissed the allegations as unfounded propaganda, claiming the accusations reflect an intensifying anti-Hungarian narrative.
“We haven’t been dragged into this war and we won’t be. That’s why we’re being targeted,” Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary will not tolerate smear campaigns against its government or citizens.
Ukraine responded by summoning the Hungarian ambassador and expelling two Hungarian diplomats within 48 hours. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the move was a measured response rooted in “national interest and reciprocity.”
Tensions between the two neighbors have simmered for years, fueled by Hungary’s opposition to EU sanctions on Russia, skepticism toward Ukraine’s EU accession, and disputes over the treatment of Zakarpattia’s ethnic Hungarian minority.