Orbán convenes emergency Defence Council, experts warn false-flag operation possible in Serbia before elections

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has convened an extraordinary Defence Council meeting for Sunday afternoon after Serbian authorities reportedly found highly destructive explosives and activation equipment near the critical gas infrastructure linking Serbia and Hungary.

Orbán convenes Defence Council

The announcement came shortly after Orbán spoke by phone with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who briefed him on the first findings of the Serbian military-police investigation near Kanjiža, close to the Hungarian border.

In a Facebook post, Orbán said:

“Serbian authorities found destructive explosives and the equipment needed for activation at the critical gas infrastructure connecting Serbia and Hungary. The investigation is ongoing.”

He added that he had called an emergency Defence Council session for Sunday afternoon.

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Discovery deepens pipeline security fears

The explosives were reportedly discovered only a few hundred metres from the gas pipeline that plays a vital role in Hungary’s current energy imports from the south.

According to Serbian reports cited earlier on Sunday, military police, criminal investigators, Serbia’s 72nd Special Brigade, drones, helicopters and explosive ordnance teams were deployed in a large-scale operation around villages near Kanjiža.

Experts revive false-flag speculation

The political reaction escalated even further after national security expert Péter Buda claimed on his Substack that some circles had been discussing a possible false-flag scenario involving Hungarian-linked critical infrastructure on the Serbian side of the border even before the discovery became public, according to 444.hu’s summary of his post.

Buda said he had spoken in recent months about the possibility that an explosive device could be “found” near Hungarian-linked infrastructure shortly before the election.

A similar hypothetical scenario had also been outlined days earlier by Russia expert András Rácz, who described Serbia as a theoretically convenient location for such an operation in a fictionalised analytical post, 444 noted.

At this stage, however, no official evidence has been presented publicly to support any false-flag theory, and Serbian authorities say the criminal investigation is still underway.

Election-week security narrative intensifies

The development lands at an exceptionally sensitive time, with Hungary’s parliamentary election now just seven days away.

The decision to convene the Defence Council immediately gives the story significant domestic political weight, especially as the government has consistently placed security, war risks and energy stability at the centre of its campaign messaging.