Putin meddling in Hungarian elections? Russian intelligence report sparks outrage

A statement from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), published on Wednesday by Hungary’s state news agency MTI without commentary, has stirred controversy in Hungary’s political arena. The SVR claimed that the European Commission seeks to “bring about a change of power” in Hungary: language that closely mirrors the talking points of Fidesz’s recent political messaging.

Russian claims target Brussels and Kyiv

According to the SVR, Brussels was angered by Budapest’s attempts to influence collective EU decisions, particularly regarding Russia and Ukraine. The statement alleged that the “final straw” for EU bureaucrats came when Hungary blocked the draft of the bloc’s next seven-year budget, Telex writes.

The intelligence agency went further, asserting that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has considered “scenarios” for political change in Hungary, supposedly viewing Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar as the most likely candidate for prime minister. Without providing evidence, the SVR alleged that German party foundations, Norwegian human rights NGOs, and the European People’s Party were prepared to contribute financial resources to Magyar’s rise, potentially even before the 2026 parliamentary elections.

The statement also adopted another recurring Fidesz narrative: that Ukraine is working to unseat the Hungarian government. The SVR accused President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “regime” of “doing the dirtiest work” by using Ukrainian intelligence services and the Hungarian diaspora to destabilise the country.

Péter Magyar: “Putin has begun interfering”

Reacting to the SVR’s remarks, Péter Magyar, speaking in Balatonfüred, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of starting to interfere in Hungary’s elections. “Putin’s intelligence service issued a statement written as if it were from the 1980s Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party,” he said.