Hungary expels two Ukrainian spies!
The Hungarian government has expelled two Ukrainian spies who worked at Ukraine’s embassy in Budapest “under diplomatic coverage”, the foreign minister said on Friday.
Ukrainian spies expelled following espionage scandal in Ukraine
“The government will no longer tolerate Kyiv’s continued defamation activities against Hungary,” Péter Szijjártó said.
The foreign ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying that anti-Hungarian propaganda in Ukraine was on the increase because “we Hungarians want peace and say no to war; we have not sent and will not send weapons to Ukraine and … will not allow Hungary to be dragged into the war.”
The minister said a protocol concerning the removal of the two agents had been handed over to Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary.
Read also:
Hungary, like many countries, has a long history involving espionage and the expulsion of spies, particularly during and after the Cold War. Here’s a broad overview of some key developments:
Cold War Era (1947–1991)
As a Warsaw Pact member under Soviet influence, Hungary was a hub for both Eastern Bloc intelligence (especially the Soviet KGB) and Western intelligence agencies (like the CIA and MI6).
Expulsions were common on both sides: Hungary expelled Western diplomats and agents accused of espionage, while Hungarian diplomats were sometimes expelled from Western countries for similar reasons.
The Hungarian State Protection Authority (ÁVH) actively worked to identify and expel or imprison spies until its dissolution in 1956.
One example is the 1950s case of Noel Field, an American accused by Hungarian authorities of being a U.S. spy, which played into wider Stalinist purges in Eastern Europe.
Post-Communist Period (1990–present)
After the fall of communism in 1989, Hungary aligned more closely with the West, joining NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.
Hungary’s counterintelligence agency, now part of the Constitution Protection Office, has taken part in identifying foreign espionage activities, particularly from Russia and China.
Notable Incidents:
2009: Two Russian diplomats were expelled from Hungary on suspicion of spying.
2022–2023: Hungary was criticized by some NATO allies for not expelling Russian diplomats after the invasion of Ukraine, despite many EU countries doing so.
In recent years, Hungary has been accused of being lenient on Russian influence, even allowing some expelled Russian spies from other countries to work through Budapest.
Summary
Hungary has expelled spies at various points in its history, particularly during the Cold War. However, its post-2010 political alignment under Viktor Orbán has led to greater ambiguity in how Hungary handles espionage, especially regarding Russia, diverging somewhat from typical NATO/EU practices.
Germany expels many Russian spies. Hungary is the weak link for NATO and EU.