Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has convened an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council after explosives were discovered near a pipeline that transports Russian gas to Hungary.
The discovery in a border area of neighbouring Serbia comes as Orban's party is trailing in opinion polls ahead of crucial elections next Sunday.
Opposition leader Peter Magyar accused him of 'panic-mongering' orchestrated by 'Russian advisers', just days after security experts warned of a possible 'false flag' operation that could be blamed on Ukraine. Orban, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has resisted EU calls to abandon Russian energy imports since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Hungarian security experts have speculated about a staged operation, intended to garner sympathy for Orban’s Fidesz party ahead of the election, or to justify delaying the vote.
On Sunday morning, Serbian President Alexander Vucic informed Orban of the discovery, stating that two rucksacks filled with explosives had been found near the village of Tresnjevac in the Kanjiza district. Vucic remarked on Instagram, Our units found an explosive of devastating power. I told PM Orban that we would keep him updated on the investigation. Hungary receives between five and eight billion cubic metres of Russian gas a year through the TurkStream pipeline, critical for energy supply.
Balint Pasztor, president of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association, asserted on Facebook that if the investigation concludes Hungary’s energy supplies were the target, it would indicate the attack was planned to undermine Orban's regime.
The Fidesz party's election strategy is heavily focused on maintaining access to cheap Russian energy and fostering skepticism about Ukraine. Orban has claimed that the 'Kyiv-Brussels-Berlin' axis aims to disrupt Hungary's access to affordable fuel to pave the way for opposition victories.
While no official allegations pointing to Ukrainian involvement have been made public, speculation grows that future accusations may surface as the investigation unfolds.
Ukrainian representatives quickly denied involvement, suggesting that any allegations could be part of a Russian strategy to meddle in Hungarian elections.
As the elections approach, the political landscape remains fraught with tension, with accusations flying from both sides amid this precarious security situation.
