Ukrainian authorities have announced that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had uncovered an alleged spy network operated by Hungarian military intelligence on Ukrainian soil.
According to official reports, the espionage ring was focused on the Zakarpattia region in western Ukraine.
Operatives allegedly worked to gather intelligence on military defences, pinpoint vulnerabilities in air and ground security and evaluate public sentiment regarding a potential Hungarian military presence in the area, Ukrainian news agency Interfax reported on May 9.
Two individuals have been detained. The SBU alleged both suspects were directed by a Hungarian military intelligence officer whose identity had been verified.
Reacting to the allegations, Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told Hungarian news outlet ATV: “In the past three years, unfortunately, it has been proven that the war in Ukraine also consists partly of a propaganda war.
“So in addition to physical warfare, there is a propaganda war going on in the airspace, alongside physical clashes on the front lines.
“It is clear that anti-Hungarian propaganda is often used in Ukraine. Anti-Hungarian propaganda that in many cases turned out to have no basis whatsoever,” he said.
Szijjártó urged everyone “to be cautious about any news that appears in Ukrainian propaganda”.
“If we receive any details or official information, then we will be able to deal with this and until then this must be classified as propaganda to be treated with caution.”
One of the detainees was a 40-year-old former serviceman from the city of Berehove in western Ukraine. Investigators alleged he was recruited in 2021 and became operational in September 2024.
His assignments reportedly included monitoring reactions — both civilian and military — to a hypothetical Hungarian peacekeeping mission, tracking arms trafficking routes and collecting information on the positioning and movements of Ukrainian troops.
The former soldier was also alleged to have carried out reconnaissance of Ukrainian air defence systems. He later crossed into Hungary under the pretence of medical treatment, reportedly using forged documents.
During a follow-up meeting, he allegedly received cash, a secure communications device and new orders: Recruit additional informants, gather data on the movements of security and defence forces’ vehicles and report on Ukrainian military losses.
The second suspect was a former female service member reportedly with access to sensitive information regarding aircraft, helicopters and local military infrastructure.
🤬‼️For the first time in the history of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed a 🇭🇺Hungarian military intelligence agent network that was spying against our state
Their task was to collect information about the military security of the Transcarpathian… pic.twitter.com/6Jom1bEErF
— Cloooud |🇺🇦 (@GloOouD) May 9, 2025
Searches conducted as part of the investigation yielded significant electronic evidence indicating the network’s alleged operations.
Both individuals have been charged with alleged high treason under martial law — specifically Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. If convicted, they faced life imprisonment and the confiscation of assets.
Their arrest was carried out under the supervision of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.
It said it was the first time in the history of Ukraine that an alleged Hungarian spy network had been found to be working against Kyiv’s interests.
The relationship between Budapest and Kyiv has deteriorated in recent years, with the Hungarian Government being more sympathetic towards Russia than most in the West.
Ukraine has a significant ethnic Hungarian minority, primarily concentrated in the Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) region, which borders Hungary. This area was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before the First World War and later changed hands multiple times due to shifting borders in the 20th century.
Ukraine’s language and education laws — especially those restricting minority language use in public education— have sparked tensions between Ukraine and Hungary in recent years.
Hungary has also issued passports to ethnic Hungarians abroad, including in Ukraine, which has further complicated bilateral relations.
‼️For the first time in Ukraine’s history, the Security Service of Ukraine has uncovered an intelligence network of the Hungarian military intelligence service that was conducting espionage activities to the detriment of our state.
The task of this network was to gather… pic.twitter.com/AxEP2Ycv9M
— Maria Drutska 🇺🇦 (@maria_drutska) May 9, 2025
