Hungarian journalist Szabolcs Panyi has revealed that Hungarian intelligence services have been spying on Ukraine for years.

This disclosure comes amid the recent arrest of two alleged Hungarian spies in Ukraine.  On 9 May, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained two individuals allegedly working as agents for Hungarian military intelligence in Zakarpattia Oblast. Two individuals reportedly collected information about the military protection of the Transcarpathian region and searching for vulnerabilities in ground and air defenses. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó dismissed the case as “propaganda that should be treated with caution.”

Panyi said that Hungary has been more focused on gathering intelligence about Ukraine than sharing information about Russia with Western allies.

“In the second half of 2023, two national security officials working in EU/NATO countries told me that while most countries primarily share information about Russia during intelligence cooperation within the Western federal system, Hungarian special services focus differently,” Panyi wrote on Facebook.

According to Panyi, NATO allies have noticed that Hungarian services share “relatively large amounts of collected information about Ukraine.”

“So while almost everyone was trying to collect and share information about Russia-the-aggressor, the Hungarians were instead spying on Ukraine that was attacked,” the journalist said.

Panyi cited a NATO officer who questioned the reliability of Hungarian intelligence. “Interesting materials, but their reliability is another question,” the officer reportedly told Panyi, suggesting doubts about the professionalism of Hungarian civil and military intelligence.

The journalist also recalled a closed meeting of Hungary’s National Security Committee that took place on 23 February 2022 – just one day before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“The report of János Béres [Director of the Military National Security Service] seemed quite encouraging. He gave little chance that Russia would start a comprehensive, total war, and also that Kyiv would be attacked,” Panyi wrote.

According to Panyi, Béres acknowledged that the United States expected a total Russian invasion but indicated that Hungarian intelligence had reached a different conclusion.

“Béres observed an increase in the likelihood of a military conflict limited to eastern Ukraine. This seemed a more likely scenario because a few days earlier Russia had recognized the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts,” Panyi said.

Less than 24 hours after this assessment, Russia launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine, including targeting the capital, demonstrating their intention to seize the entire country.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó dismissed the case as “propaganda that should be treated with caution.”

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