by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia announced Thursday it would expel Hungarian diplomats in retaliation for Budapest’s decision last month to order 10 Russian diplomats out of Hungary over alleged espionage, further straining relations between the two countries.
It was not immediately clear how many Hungarian diplomatic personnel would be forced to leave.
“As a reciprocal measure, a group of staff members from the Hungarian Embassy in Moscow and the Hungarian Consulates General in St Petersburg and Kazan must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within two weeks,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced.
Hungary’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged Moscow’s decision but signaled that Budapest did not want the diplomatic dispute to escalate. “Hungary is not interested in an escalation of diplomatic tension,” the ministry stressed.
The expulsions had been expected after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned last month that Moscow’s response to Hungary’s action would be “harsh and painful.”
RUSSIA RETALIATES AGAINST HUNGARY
Hungary announced September 8 that it was expelling 10 Russian diplomats after authorities concluded they had engaged in activities “unacceptable for diplomats” under the Vienna Convention.
Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, who is not related to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, said at the time that the decision was intended to protect “Hungary’s security and sovereignty.”
The expulsions marked one of Budapest’s most significant moves against Moscow in years and came after Hungary’s new government publicly described Russia as a threat to Hungarian and European security.
The diplomatic dispute underscores the significant change in relations between Budapest and Moscow since Prime Minister Péter Magyar defeated Viktor Orbán in April’s parliamentary elections.
Viktor Orbán, who lost power after 16 years in office, cultivated close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin even after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
HUNGARY SHIFTS FROM MOSCOW
His government continued importing Russian oil and natural gas while frequently clashing with European Union partners over sanctions against Moscow and military assistance for Ukraine.
Magyar and his center-right government have repeatedly stressed that Hungary’s principal alliances are with the European Union and the NATO military alliance and have sought to rebuild trust with Western partners strained during Viktor Orbán’s rule.
Concerns about Russian intelligence activities in Hungary had mounted during the previous government, when Russia maintained a comparatively large diplomatic presence in Budapest while numerous other European governments expelled Russian diplomats following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
A 2023 cross-border investigation by European media organizations found extensive antenna equipment at the Russian Embassy in Budapest, near the Worthy News Europe Bureau, that former Hungarian counterintelligence officers said could monitor radio and cellphone signals across much of the capital.
Investigators reported that the system could potentially identify nearby mobile devices and intercept calls, although Hungarian authorities said they found no evidence that telephone conversations had actually been monitored.
RUSSIAN ESPIONAGE CONCERNS MOUNT
Concerns intensified this year when independent Russian journalists alleged that 15 of the 47 people working at Russia’s embassy in Budapest had links to Russian intelligence services, while another six may have had such connections.
In May, Hungary reportedly expelled Russian Embassy third secretary Artur Sushkov after Hungarian counterintelligence identified him as a Russian intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover.
The policy shift became more explicit when Magyar’s government issued foreign policy guidelines ahead of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
“Hungary condemns Russian military aggression and fully supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,” according to the government document monitored by Worthy News.
“Russia’s conduct poses a threat to Hungary, Europe and the global order,” the document added.
HUNGARY CALLS RUSSIA THREAT
Despite the increasingly strained relationship, Magyar’s government has made clear it does not seek a complete break with Moscow.
Foreign Minister Anita Orbán stressed when announcing the Russian expulsions last month that Hungary still intended to maintain the “necessary dialogue” with Moscow.
Hungary remains heavily dependent on Russian oil and natural gas, while Russia’s state-owned Rosatom is involved in the long-delayed expansion of Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant.
Yet Thursday’s retaliatory expulsions underscored how rapidly relations have deteriorated since Viktor Orbán’s departure.
They have transformed what had been one of Moscow’s closest relationships within the European Union into an increasingly tense diplomatic relationship.
The post Russia Expels Hungarian Diplomats As Relations With Budapest Deteriorate appeared first on Worthy Christian News.
Source: Worthy News
