Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar accuses Moscow of attempting to interfere in the country’s 2026 parliamentary elections, warning that Russian operatives are using “disinformation campaigns, cyber operations, or intimidation” to sway voters.
In an open letter published Sunday, Magyar demanded “clear assurances” that Moscow would refrain from interfering in Hungary’s domestic affairs, including through cyber operations or intimidation of politicians and citizens, Reuters reports.
Magyar, whose Respect and Freedom (Tisza) party is polling ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz, made the remarks after Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed the European Commission was plotting “regime change in Budapest” with him as its preferred candidate.
In recent polls, Orbán is trailing Magyar’s opposition party by around 10%.
“The last Soviet soldier left our country in June 1991. Now their operatives are back – sometimes working undercover, sometimes openly,” Magyar said in a Facebook post, calling on Russia’s ambassador to explain the SVR’s comments.
Orbán, who has maintained close ties with Moscow since 2010 and opposed EU military aid to Ukraine, has accused Brussels of seeking to install a “puppet government” in Hungary himself.
The parliamentary election set for next spring is shaping up to be Orbán’s toughest challenge in his nearly two decades as prime minister.
(vib)
