Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election
Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election
Prime Minister Viktor Orban summoned an urgent session of the National Defence Council following the detection of explosives near a vital Russian gas pipeline. The find, located in a border region with Serbia, occurs as Orban’s party faces declining popularity in the approaching elections. Opposition leader Peter Magyar criticized the prime minister for “panic-mongering,” claiming it was a coordinated effort by “Russian advisers.” This comes after security analysts raised concerns about a potential “false flag” attack that could shift blame onto Ukraine.
Orban, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has resisted EU pressure to cut ties with Russian energy sources since the invasion of Ukraine. Recent warnings from Hungarian security experts suggest a staged operation—possibly in Serbia or Hungary—aimed at rallying public backing for Orban’s Fidesz party or justifying an emergency declaration to delay the polls. Serbian President Alexander Vucic, a close partner of Orban, informed him of the discovery on Sunday. Serbian troops uncovered two rucksacks containing explosives and detonators near Tresnjevac village in the Kanjiza district, approximately 20km from where the TurkStream pipeline enters Hungary.
“Our units found an explosive of devastating power,” Vucic stated on Instagram, adding that he would update Orban on the investigation’s progress.
Hungary relies on the TurkStream pipeline for between five and eight billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually. Both Hungary and Slovakia depend on this supply route. Balint Pasztor, head of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association, and another Orban-linked figure claimed on Facebook that if the attack wasn’t directed at Hungary, it would “make it even clearer” that the operation was designed to destabilize Orban’s leadership.
Fidesz has positioned anti-Ukrainian sentiment as a central theme in its campaign. Orban frequently emphasizes that low energy costs in Hungary are owed to Russian imports, with gas arriving via the Balkans and oil through Ukraine. He accuses a “Kyiv-Brussels-Berlin” alliance of conspiring to block Hungary’s access to cheap Russian fuel, aiming to install a “puppet” leader in the elections. A government led by the opposition, Orban argues, would thrust Hungary into a European conflict with Russia.
Orban has previously blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an “oil blockade,” citing the Druzhba pipeline’s disruption since January. Ukraine attributes the damage to a Russian strike and anticipates its restoration by mid-April. No official claims of Ukrainian involvement have been made yet, but a Serbian source hinted that results from the investigation might emerge as early as Monday.
Security analyst Andras Racz warned on Facebook that a “fake attack” on the TurkStream pipeline could be orchestrated in Serbia. He predicted the explosives would be traced to Ukrainian origins, allowing Orban to deflect blame to Kyiv. “We had solid preliminary information about this operation,” said former Hungarian counter-intelligence officer Peter Buda, noting that the attack would benefit Orban’s political agenda.
The Hungarian government insists the threat is genuine. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook: “In recent days, we’ve seen it all—the Ukrainians blocked our oil, then targeted the TurkStream pipeline with drones while it was still on Russian soil. Now, Serbian colleagues have found explosives capable of destroying the pipeline.” Magyar, however, accused Orban and Vucic of collaborating to stage the incident, seeking to sway voters ahead of the polls.