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Ukraine says it breaks up Hungarian spy ring, detains two ex‑soldiers on treason charges

09.05.2025 12:00
Ukraine’s SBU security service said on Friday it had dismantled an espionage network run by Hungary’s military intelligence in the border region of Zakarpattia and arrested two soldiers suspected of treason.
Illustrative photo.
Illustrative photo.PAP/Alena Solomonova

The two were seized in early‑morning raids at their homes, where officers confiscated mobile phones and other materials allegedly proving they passed military information to Budapest, Interfax‑Ukraine reported, citing law‑enforcement sources.

If convicted of treason, they face up to life imprisonment.

Probing defenses and public mood

According to the SBU, the ring had been gathering data on ground and air‑defense gaps and gauging whether locals might support or resist any hypothetical entry of Hungarian troops into the ethnically mixed region, which borders Hungary and hosts about 100,000 ethnic Hungarians.

The agency did not say how long the pair had operated or whether further arrests were likely.

Budapest tension rises

The disclosure comes after Hungarian Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay‑Bobrovniczky was heard in a leaked 2023 audio saying army “rejuvenation” was needed to abandon a “mentality of peace.”

He later wrote on Facebook: “I am building an army ready and able to defend Hungary, because peace requires strength.”

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, dismissed the controversy as “nonsense,” telling reporters that soldiers must always prepare for war if they want to keep the peace.

Hungary’s government offices did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the alleged spy ring.

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Source: Polskie Radio 24, BBC