The Russian government claims Ukraine is planning attacks on NATO, citing a Hungarian article
Citing Hungarian media, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, alleged that Ukraine is preparing sabotage operations in NATO member states, later blaming them on Russia: a claim tied to a single Hungarian article quoting an anonymous Telegram post.
From one article to an international affair
In a Telegram post on 26 September, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova pointed to “several Hungarian media” reporting alleged Ukrainian plans to stage sabotage in Poland and Romania and blame Russia: a claim first flagged by former Hungarian national security officer Péter Buda.
“Several Hungarian media outlets reported on Zelensky’s plans to carry out sabotage in Romania and Poland in order to blame Russia.”, Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram.
In reality, Zakharova appeared to refer to only one Hungarian site, Pestisrácok.hu, which cited an anonymous Telegram post without any verifiable source.
Hungarian news site Telex also covered the story, pointing out that Pestisrácok.hu’s 26 September article — titled “War in Ukraine: if you look at this map, you will never believe anyone saying it’s a stalemate again!” — was the cited article, which ended with the suggestion that Ukrainian special services, together with the armed forces, might be planning attacks and bombings on logistical hubs in Romania and Poland.
The author, Tamás Magyar B., did not provide any concrete source. He only wrote: “strange news is blowing on Telegram, and half of it is no longer a joke.” The article does not reveal which Telegram channel he was referring to, and journalists found no evidence that such information appeared elsewhere.
Despite this, Zakharova cited “several Hungarian media outlets” in her post, directly referencing the Pestisrácok.hu piece, effectively amplifying an unverified Hungarian article into the international information space.
The first link in a disinformation chain
Zakharova’s Telegram post was flagged by Péter Buda, a former senior Hungarian national security officer. In a blog entry, he noted that the case followed a classic Russian disinformation pattern: first, an unchecked claim appeared in a local outlet, then the Russian Foreign Ministry cited it in official communication, from where the claim was further spread.
“The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry is accusing Ukraine of a false-flag operation based on an anonymous and unreferenced Telegram post,” Buda pointed out.
Buda emphasised that there is no evidence that Hungary’s intelligence services passed such information to Moscow, contrary to what some propaganda outlets suggested. He argued that if such a transfer had actually occurred, Russia would hardly have publicised it, since doing so would openly prove that the intelligence of a NATO member state was cooperating with Moscow.
“These operations begin with planting disinformation. Planting usually involves a recruited or friendly journalist, or a media platform where thorough fact-checking is not expected. Typically, little-known, less professionally recognized authors or outlets are used, since mainstream media are less likely to publish unchecked claims. The information is then repeated by a lower-level but visible figure, whose statement is eventually picked up by larger outlets,” Buda explained.
How the “false flag” tactic works
In his analysis, Buda also described how the Russian narrative reflects one of propaganda’s most familiar tools: the false-flag operation.
He explained that this refers to an action where one actor deliberately carries out an attack, sabotage, or information operation in such a way that responsibility can be shifted onto another. The “enemy” is left in a difficult position, while the initiator remains untarnished.
“First, a source-free Telegram post appears, which is then quoted in a Hungarian article. Next, the reference enters the communication of the Russian Foreign Ministry, from where it is quickly picked up by larger media outlets. By the end of the process, an unverifiable claim has become part of an official international narrative,” Buda wrote.
A reminder of the information war
The episode demonstrates how an unverified claim can rapidly escalate into an international talking point. It also highlights the political weight of the information space, where media content can be appropriated and repurposed by other actors for strategic goals.
In wartime communication, disinformation is a frequently used tool on both sides, and every piece of news is worth approaching with caution.
Fidesz has monopoly control over media in Hungary and has been putting out Kremlin propaganda for years to brainwash Hungarians to hate “the decadent West” , to hate Ukraine, and to love mother Russia. Hungarians Fidesz works for Russia and sold your sovereignty to Putin.
God, Larry, you’re tiresome.
I don’t love Russia or even like it, let alone Putin.
I do, however, see clearly that there are plenty of very powerful people in the West who are spoiling for a direct conflict with Russia. Just like they were determined to invade Iraq in ’03, they’re now chomping at the bits to start a third world war.
With that in mind, we should ALL be extremely skeptical of any and all claims of sudden attacks emanating from Russia. Ukraine carried out at least one false-flag attack already (the Nord Stream pipeline), so we would be utter fools to not believe it might do something similar or worse again.
The Nordstream incident was a simple act of sabotage of enemy infrastructure. It doesn’t fulfil the definition of a ‘false flag’ operation. Naturally, Ukraine didn’t openly claim ownership, but I believe it’s now widely now that it was orchestrated by Ukraine based on public information. The act was no different to using drones to damage pipelines and refineries on Russian territory.
Michael no sane person wants a world war. Moreover, it has consistently been the Russians that have openly threatened it since their invasion began. The only aggression that has taken place in Europe now has been by Russia. You are reading too much Kremlin propaganda. Accepting that it was Ukrainian actors that sabotaged Nord Stream that was definitely in their interests to do so to stop the enemy that was attacking them from collecting gas revenues to fund their attacks.