Helicopters to be deployed to the eastern border: Orbán cabinet afraid of a Ukrainian attack against Hungary?

Hungary’s defence minister stopped short of spelling it out, but his remarks suggest the government apprehends some form of Ukrainian incursion in the country’s eastern reaches. Péter Buda, a national security expert, and Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, have previously warned that the administration might stage a false-flag operation with Russian assistance in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county ahead of the elections. Yesterday’s Median poll showed Tisza ahead by 20 points, a margin that, if accurate, could deliver a two-thirds majority to Magyar.

Fears of Ukrainian incursion?

To an outside observer, it might appear that Budapest dreads some Ukrainian breakthrough or assault along its eastern frontiers. Though Ukraine remains locked in a desperate struggle against invading Russian forces, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated after the second meeting of the consultative body on critical infrastructure protection that helicopter capabilities are being deployed to the nation’s eastern half. These helicopters, he explained, are tasked with intercepting devices that enter Hungarian airspace too slowly and too low for the standing air defence forces to neutralise.

At a Budapest press conference, the minister also revealed that electronic jamming devices have been distributed in large numbers to defence units. On the Energy Ministry’s recommendation, a list of 20 critical sites has been drawn up, with military deployments organised there; troops arrive on Friday. Today, 40 further sites were identified for police and army personnel, with plans to expand the number in the future. The minister noted that NATO has been informed.

No oil flows for political reasons

“These measures aim to preempt and, if necessary, repel provocative or other aerial and ground attacks on Hungary’s energy infrastructure, thereby safeguarding the essential fuels for our economy and transport, and, through them, the security of the Hungarian people,” the minister declared.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky added that “Hungary, alongside Slovakia, currently labours under an oil blockade imposed by a blackmailing state.” Ukraine has shut off the Druzhba pipeline, he recalled, stressing there are ample grounds to conclude that no technical or operational issues prevent the flow: “a legal obligation for Ukraine, moreover.”

Ukraine blew up Nord Stream, minister claims

The minister recalled that such attacks are not without precedent, citing Ukraine’s destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines. “Why Germany tolerates this, I cannot say; Hungary resists such blackmail,” he emphasised. He further warned that a drone had already breached Hungarian airspace, traversing the entire country, which the then-chief of defence staff, now a Tisza MP, “watched impassively, arms folded.”

Government plotting false flag?

László Róbert of Political Capital and Mátyás Bódi of Election Geography Research discussed on the Heti Válasz podcast the possibility of a false-flag operation in March, potentially with Russian involvement, in Transcarpathia (home to tens of thousands of ethnic Hungarians), Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, or even Budapest. Their view: the government seeks to ramp up war rhetoric before the 12 April vote, scooping up votes from conflict-fearful electors.

• False-flag military operation linked to Russians could destabilise Hungary ahead of 2026 election?

Péter Magyar alluded to something similar in his New Year’s address. Median’s latest poll, conducted after 18 February, was released yesterday. If the figures hold, and political analyst Gábor Török insists Median does not err by this magnitude, Tisza leads Fidesz by 20 points, paving the way for a crushing defeat for Orbán and a two-thirds triumph for Magyar come April.

Hungarian charge d’affaires summoned to Ukrainian foreign ministry for second time

The Hungarian charge d’affaires was summoned for the second time in a day to Ukraine’s foreign ministry, where Kyiv again confirmed it was blocking oil shipments to Hungary purely for political reasons, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in Budapest on Thursday.

Ukrainian officials were “outraged” that Hungary had publicised the outcome of the first summons — namely, Ukraine’s admission that the halt in deliveries was politically motivated, a ministry statement cited Szijjártó as saying. “It’s hard to interpret their stance any other way when they say shipments won’t resume until Hungary sends money and weapons,” Szijjártó said. “We will send neither, because we refuse to be dragged into Ukraine’s war. Hungary’s peace and security are our absolute priority.”

He added that the second summons, just minutes earlier, had again confirmed Ukraine’s political motives. “They offered no explanation, no timeline — it’s clear they aim to engineer an oil supply crisis in Hungary ahead of the elections.”

Szijjártó vowed Hungary would not tolerate such pressure. “We won’t let them toy with us or blackmail us. As long as oil shipments remain halted, Hungary will block key EU decisions for Ukraine in Brussels.”

If you missed out previous articles:

• Germany, Belgium outraged for PM Orbán’s veto concerning Ukraine
• New poll: Orbán should brace for crushing defeat as Péter Magyar eyes constitutional rewrite