Opposition wants the names of those Russians who bought Hungarian residency bonds

The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called on the government to release the names of Russian nationals who have purchased residency bonds, securities whose buyers enjoy an accelerated procedure for permanent residency in Hungary.

At an online press conference on Monday, DK deputy leader László Varjú also urged the government to review all Russian residency bond purchases.

Varjú said the government had granted permanent residency in Hungary and free movement in Europe to more than 1,200 Russian citizens through its residency bond scheme. He said DK wanted to know “how many Russian spies, saboteurs and oligarchs linked to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin” had been allowed into Hungary “in the name of the uncritical friendship with Putin”.

Varjú said the press in the past had uncovered the identities of several Russian residency bond buyers, naming Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, Iliaz Muslimov, a former member of the Russian parliament, and Alexei Yankevich, a board member of a subsidiary of Russian energy giant Gazprom, and their families, as examples.