Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson accused Viktor Orbán of lying after the Hungarian leader claimed Sweden had descended into “barbarism” because of underage crime.
“In Sweden, 284 underage girls have been arrested for murder. Not because they killed someone together, but each separately,” Orbán said in a video, referring to an article in German daily Die Welt about criminal gangs recruiting teenage girls for violent acts.
But Die Welt never reported hundreds of arrests. It said around 280 girls aged 15 to 17 were investigated for violent crimes, including murder, manslaughter, and assault. According to Sweden’s national crime prevention council, the actual number of confirmed killings in 2024 was 92.
Orbán used the Swedish example to argue that “laws and order are breaking down” in the country, and that Stockholm had “left European civilisation” over the past 15 years. His remarks were accompanied by video footage showing Swedish police and crime scenes.
In response, Kristersson called Orbán’s statement “outrageous lies” and accused him of dismantling Hungary’s rule of law while spreading disinformation ahead of the April 2026 national elections. “Orbán is desperate,” Kristersson wrote on X.
The clash is the latest in a long series of disputes between the two governments. Hungary was the last NATO member to ratify Sweden’s accession in 2024, repeatedly delaying the process over allegations that Stockholm of lying about Hungary’s democratic record.
The European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report states that Hungary faces systemic shortcomings in judicial independence and integrity of public administration, and has persistent issues with media pluralism and corruption.
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