Hungarian spy scandal in Ukraine: did Hungarian intelligence gather military data for Moscow?

On 9 May, the Ukrainian Internal Security Service (SZBU) released a video showing the arrest of two agents working for Hungarian military intelligence in Transcarpathia (Kárpátalja), Ukraine. The recording not only documents the two men’s activities but could also have extremely serious consequences from a diplomatic and national security perspective. Tensions between the Hungarian and Ukrainian governments have reached a new level, and the scandal could also negatively impact the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia. The Hungarian spy scandal based on information available so far:

Hungarian spy scandal in Ukraine

The timing alone speaks volumes. Although the arrest took place earlier, the SZBU only released the video on 9 May, the day of Victory in World War II, which Russia celebrates every year with a grandiose military parade. Given the symbolic date chosen, it is reasonable to assume that the action was intended to send a political message to Hungary and Russia. The decision to make the video public was probably not an ad hoc one: it is conceivable that NATO allies, including the US, were informed in advance, given the expected severity of the scandal.

One of the suspects was a 40-year-old former Ukrainian soldier from the Berehove (Beregszász) district, where there is a significant Hungarian minority (approx. 100,000 people). He was recruited in 2021 and activated for intelligence duties in September 2024. The other agent was also a former soldier who left the service in 2025.

According to the information in the video, local agents of Hungarian intelligence were tasked with gathering military and social data: the movements of Ukrainian units in Transcarpathia, local sentiment, and the population’s reactions to the possible arrival of Hungarian or NATO peacekeepers were among their targets.

However, the most surprising and worrying aspect is that they tried to obtain specific information about Ukrainian air defence, in particular, the exact type and location of S-300 missile systems. The espionage scandal therefore goes beyond the minority conflicts typical of the region: the military intelligence service of a NATO member state collected sensitive data on the defence system of a partner state at war—information that is much more valuable to Russia than to Hungary.

The main question is why Budapest would need detailed information about the air defence of Transcarpathia. The Hungarian Air Force clearly has no plans to attack Ukraine. The Russian army, on the other hand, has already attempted several drone and missile attacks on Lviv via the southern airspace of Transcarpathia. Due to the specific characteristics of the region – mountainous terrain, limited electronic detection – this information could be of strategic importance to Moscow.

Hungary’s response further exacerbated the dispute

After the scandal broke, Hungary did not remain idle. The Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) captured a Ukrainian citizen in Budapest in a spectacular operation. You can watch the video here: Hungarian government shares video of Ukrainian man’s dramatic arrest amid spy controversy. The score would have been even if one more person had been arrested. Still, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó did not calm the situation, but instead exacerbated it by ordering two Ukrainian intelligence agents working under diplomatic cover to leave the country within 48 hours.

This move was an escalation in several respects: on the one hand, it acknowledged the seriousness of the Ukrainian accusations, and on the other, it made it impossible for the parties to settle the matter quietly through diplomatic channels. The public nature of the expulsion and the short deadline also suggested that the Ukrainian side would be forced to take similar steps, which is exactly what happened.