Ukraine arrests two Hungarians over alleged spy plot

SBU says the “traitors” had used their past military experience to gain access to sensitive locations.

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WORLDWIDE:

Ukraine’s security service said on Thursday it had dismantled a spy network allegedly run by Hungarian military intelligence, accusing two former Ukrainian soldiers of gathering classified defence information in a western region that borders Hungary.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the detained suspects, a man and a woman, had been collecting data on air defence systems, law enforcement activity, and public sentiment in the Zakarpattia region, home to a large ethnic Hungarian population.

“For the first time in Ukraine’s history, the Security Service has exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting espionage activities to the detriment of our state,” the SBU said in a statement.

It said one of the suspects had travelled to Hungary to report to his alleged handler, receiving cash and a secure communication device.

The SBU described the suspects as “traitors” and said they had used their past military experience to gain access to sensitive locations. Authorities seized phones and other alleged evidence during raids on their homes.

The pair face charges of treason, which in Ukraine can carry a life sentence.

The Hungarian government has not publicly responded to the accusations.

Although Hungary is a member of the EU and NATO, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has maintained warm ties with the Kremlin and opposed multiple EU efforts to support Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Orban’s government has previously blocked military aid packages, voiced resistance to Ukraine’s EU membership, and continued energy dealings with Moscow.

While Zakarpattia lies far from the front lines in the south and east, where fighting continues, the SBU said the nature of the alleged espionage – focused on military infrastructure – made the case especially serious.

Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told that it was not the first time Ukraine had accused Hungary of undermining its security, but said the new claims raised deeper questions about loyalty within NATO.

“There needs to be some serious discussion within NATO about members that behave that way,” Wallace said.

Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have flared repeatedly in recent years, particularly over the rights of Zakarpattia’s ethnic Hungarian minority.

In 2021, Ukraine expelled Hungarian diplomats over reports of Budapest distributing passports in the region.

According to the most recent Ukrainian census in 2001, about 150,000 Hungarians live in the Zakarpattia region.