Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić informed on Sunday that a "high-powered" explosive device, which could have "endangered a large number of people and caused serious disruptions to gas supplies", had been discovered in the north of the country - near the TurkStream gas pipeline supplying Russian gas to Hungary.
Vučić informed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban about the incident, who convened an emergency defense council for Sunday afternoon. Russian gas transported by TurkStream covers 60% of Hungary's demand - and both Vučić and Orban are known for their strongly pro-Moscow stance.
After the defense council meeting concluded, the Hungarian Prime Minister announced that his country's military would be deployed to protect the pipeline. He also accused Kyiv of years of attempts to "cut off Europe from Russian energy supplies", suggesting Ukraine's involvement and calling it a "threat to Hungary". It is worth mentioning that earlier this year EU countries formally adopted the Regulation on phasing out Russian imports of both pipeline and liquified natural gas by the end of 2026.
Anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, with claims often far from the truth, is one of foundations of the ongoing election campaign by Orbán's FIDESZ party. Parliamentary ballot will be held in Hungary on April 12th - and according to polls the opposition party TISZA is clearly ahead, which means the current ruling camp is at real risk of losing power after a dozen years.
The Hungarian opposition leader, Peter Magyar, suggested on Sunday that the discovery of explosives near the gas pipeline connecting Hungary with Serbia may have been a government false flag operation. He called on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to stop "spreading panic and causing disruption, as planned by his Russian advisors". Some top figures of the Kremlin's propaganda machine, as well as Moscow's military intelligence service GRU, are reported to be involved (also on-site) in assisting FIDESZ to ensure its victory, crucial for Putin's interests like derailing EU support for Ukraine through vetoes.
"For weeks, we’ve been receiving warnings from multiple sources that, after previous failed false-flag operations and a drop in Fidesz’s support, Viktor Orbán - allegedly with Serbian and Russian assistance - may be planning to cross another line. Many people have suggested that something might 'accidentally' happen in Serbia, possibly involving a gas pipeline, around Easter, one week before the Hungarian elections. And now it has."
- Magyar wrote on X.
The politician also emphasized in the post that Orban "will not be able to prevent next Sunday’s election. He will not be able to stop millions of Hungarians from bringing to an end the most corrupt two decades in our country’s history".
Ukraine has categorically rejected attempts to link it to the incident involving explosives found near a gas pipeline in Serbia, Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said on Sunday. He emphasized that Ukraine had nothing to do with the incident and that it is "most probably a Russian false-flag operation as part of Moscow’s heavy interference in Hungarian elections".
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Source: PAP, IAR