Hungary’s former foreign minister Péter Szijjártó reportedly coordinated with the Kremlin to bring Russian intelligence documents to Budapest, detailing efforts to discredit Tisza politician István Kapitány ahead of the 2026 election. The revelations come from a new book by investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi.
The Russian intelligence services allegedly worked to undermine the Tisza Party and strengthen Fidesz’s electoral position by spreading compromising material about István Kapitány, a former senior Shell executive who joined the opposition party. According to Friends with Benefits (“Barátság extrákkal”), the book by investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, Szijjártó received several reports from Russia detailing these operations.
According to Telex’s summary, the documents were reportedly delivered through Hungarian diplomats based in Moscow and Belgrade, following coordination between Szijjártó and the Russian government.
Russian intelligence produced AI videos targeting Kapitány
One of the documents described a campaign to discredit Kapitány through a series of articles and manipulated videos. Russian officials reportedly claimed they had used publicly available information about his career at Shell, where he served as a vice-president responsible for developing the energy company’s subsidiaries, including those in Russia, between 2014 and 2024.
The material also included links to Hungarian-language websites and AI-generated videos allegedly showing Kapitány and his associates celebrating the outbreak of the war against Iran at a private party.
The apparent intention was to portray them as wealthy oil investors profiting from rising energy prices caused by the conflict. One of the Russian reports claimed that the video had reached 160,000 people on TikTok.
The campaign’s message echoed accusations frequently used by Fidesz: that Tisza politicians were wealthy, lived abroad and prioritised their personal financial interests over Hungary’s, allegedly supporting wars and higher energy prices while planning to abolish the country’s utility price cuts.
However, the strategy was reportedly less about maintaining a consistent political message and more about creating confusion, flooding the information space and undermining voters’ trust.
Have you read this? Szijjártó-Lavrov leaked phone call: EU, NATO leaders shocked by deferential tone, “bizarre” relationship
Hungarian ambassadors were asked to transport Russian documents
According to Panyi’s book, the first document discussed in detail reached Budapest on 23 March 2026 through Norbert Konkoly, Hungary’s ambassador to Moscow.
A few days later, Szijjártó reportedly asked him to collect another package of documents from the Russians.
Konkoly refused, expressing discomfort with what had effectively become a regular courier service between Moscow and Budapest.
The book suggests that the ambassador was already uneasy about the Hungarian government’s increasingly close relationship with Russia and Szijjártó’s frequent visits to Moscow.
Following Konkoly’s refusal, Szijjártó turned to Hungary’s ambassador in Belgrade, József Magyar, who reportedly delivered Russian documents to Budapest on 27 March and again shortly afterwards.
Some of the material referenced articles published on websites known for spreading pro-Kremlin narratives. One example was an article on Kárpáthír questioning Kapitány’s connections to Shell, BlackRock and the Tisza Party.
Make things easier with professional support in English. Explore Daily News Hungary’s Services in English and find the help you need.
Campaign reached 18 countries, but its effectiveness is questionable
The Russian documents reportedly described an extensive international operation. According to the reports cited by Panyi, Russian intelligence distributed 64 pieces of material across 18 countries, targeting Kapitány’s reputation.
Articles and related content allegedly appeared on websites in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg and Nigeria, among other countries. Russian reports claimed that the materials generated 2.9 million views, with subsequent publications adding another 486,000. However, the actual reach of these campaigns is difficult to verify.
The operation also included claims that Kapitány had discussed shutting down the Druzhba oil pipeline with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as allegations that a Tisza victory would lead to cuts in social benefits.
Interestingly, Russian operatives reportedly produced contradictory propaganda for different audiences. In materials aimed at Ukrainian readers, Kapitány was even portrayed as an agent of the Kremlin.
The timing of the Russian reports and Fidesz’s own campaign communications also raises questions. Several government and Fidesz attacks on Kapitány appeared after Szijjártó had reportedly received the Russian material.
Was there a coordinated plan to keep Orbán in power?
While the Kremlin’s interest in keeping Viktor Orbán’s government in power clearly aligned with Fidesz’s political objectives, the precise extent of coordination between the two sides remains unclear. According to Panyi, a Hungarian intelligence officer told him after Fidesz’s election defeat that if an agreement had existed, Orbán would certainly have known about it.
The book also contains claims suggesting that parts of the Hungarian leadership had considered requesting Russian assistance to remain in power. One source from the Ministry of Defence described a ten-point plan based on escalating levels of Russian support.
“It was an escalation ladder: it was about what level of Russian assistance we would request,” the source reportedly explained.
The plan allegedly included seeking help from the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, at around the third stage. According to the source, this meant that considerably more aggressive measures had also been contemplated.
Although the Russian operation’s actual impact is still uncertain, the revelations raise serious questions about the extent of Moscow’s involvement in Hungary’s 2026 election campaign and the relationship between Russian intelligence and the former Hungarian government.
This is clear treason by Szijjarto. We need prosecution of these Russian agents. You had to be a total idiot not to realize that these people where working hand in glove with the Russians. They certainly brainwashed millions of Hungarians and I think many of those will refuse to believe these accusations because it becomes like a cult and their thinking cannot accept anything that does not fit into their preconceived view of the world they were taught to believe for years by Fidesz TV..
By the way Russian demands include that NATO withdraw from all countries that joined since 1997. That would include Hungary which joined in 1999. I’m sure Viktor Orban would give great consideration to that request if he had been elected. Invite the Russians right back into Hungary Viktor. Russia has designs on controlling Hungary and be thankful Putin’s agents were kicked out of office on April 12th.
Well that went well.