According to current surveys, things are not looking good for Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.Image: keystone
Serbia reports the discovery of explosives on a pipeline. Viktor Orbán sees a sabotage plan. His challenger Péter Magyar suspects a false flag maneuver before the election next weekend.
Apr 06, 2026, 08:04Apr 06, 2026, 08:17
Mark Stoffers / t-online
After Serbia reported the discovery of explosives on a gas pipeline to Hungary, a question arises shortly before the parliamentary elections in Hungary: Was it a planned act of sabotage or a sophisticated propaganda maneuver? The opinions of incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his closest competitor Péter Magyar could hardly be more divergent shortly before the Hungarian election.
While Orbán and members of his right-wing national party Fidesz direct suspicion towards well-known enemy images, Magyar and his Tisza party see it as a ploy to influence the election on April 12th.
Suspected act of sabotage foiled shortly before the Hungarian election?
On Easter Sunday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Instagram that he had informed Orbán in a phone call that Serbian security forces had discovered explosives at a pumping station on the Turkish Stream pipeline. The Serbian head of government further explained that it was near the town of Velebit on the Hungarian border “Explosives with devastating power” and the associated fuses would have acted.
Orbán confirmed the phone call about the pipeline that brings Russian natural gas from Turkey to Hungary via Bulgaria and Serbia. According to the Prime Minister, this is “vital” for Hungary as it supplies 60 percent of the natural gas required. After a special meeting of the Hungarian Defense Council, he also announced that “we have ordered increased military control and protection of the Hungarian section of the pipeline.”
Orbán directs suspicion towards Ukraine
At the same time, Orbán directed suspicion towards Ukraine. “Ukraine has been working for years to cut off Europe’s gas supplies (from Russia),” he said in a video speech on Facebook. His extremely Russia-friendly Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also makes no secret of the fact that he sees responsibility for the allegedly planned act of sabotage on the pipeline.
“The Serbs thwarted it, but this attempted attack fits well with the machinations of the Ukrainians, who are constantly trying to block Russian gas and oil supplies to Europe. “This was a very clumsy attempt to encroach on our sovereignty,” said the politician.
Russia and Ukraine blame each other
Similar sounds also came from Russia. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Russian news agency Tass:
“They want to rob Hungary of its sovereignty. They do this in various ways: politically, by interfering in its internal affairs and elections; economically, by dictating to it and forcing it to make decisions that harm the economy and the well-being of Hungarians; and in the energy sector, trying to deny Hungary access to high-quality and low-cost resources.”
Ukraine, for its part, immediately denied it. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on the short message service:
“We categorically reject any attempts to falsely link Ukraine to the incident involving explosives found near the Turk Stream pipeline in Serbia. Ukraine has nothing to do with this. “It is most likely a Russian false flag operation as part of Moscow’s massive interference in the Hungarian elections.”
Gas pipeline incident in Serbia: false flag operation?
Meanwhile, the liberal Hungarian media “HVG” cites sources from Belgrade who also assume that it is a false flag operation. It is not surprising that Serbia was also involved in this operation.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is a close ally of Orbán, and it is also clear that the Russian secret services view the Balkan country as their “turf”.
Is he trying to help his political friend? Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visiting a restaurant with Orbán.Image: keystone
Magyar made serious accusations against Orbán shortly before the Hungarian election
Challenger Magyar accused Orbán of exploiting the allegedly planned attack on the pipeline shortly before the Hungarian election and of wanting to stir up panic for election campaign reasons. He wrote on Facebook that he had been receiving signals for weeks that “false flag” actions were being planned in this direction. It has been heard several times that something will happen to this pipeline “by chance” a week before the election, around Easter.
Péter Magyar believes in a false flag campaign.Image: keystone
“I also call on Viktor Orbán to stop (at least during the holidays) the scaremongering and confusion that Russian advisers have planned,” Magyar wrote. If Orbán were to use the incident for campaign propaganda, this would be tantamount to admitting that this was a “false flag” operation. He subsequently announced that if he were successful in the election, he would launch a full, public investigation.
Serbia’s military intelligence comments on investigations
Meanwhile, the director of Serbia’s military intelligence countered allegations that the Serbian army might be involved in a false flag operation to accuse Ukraine of sabotage.
Djuro Jovanić spoke of disinformation, as Serbian media reported. There are indications that the explosives were manufactured in the USA. A military-trained “member of a migrant group” had planned an attack on the pipeline and the person was being sought.
Orbán sees “dark clouds” gathering
Against the background of the allegedly planned attack and the upcoming elections in Hungary, Orbán never tired of mentioning the dangers the Balkan country was facing. “Such dark clouds have been gathering over Hungary for a long time,” he said during his speech at an event on Géllertberg in Budapest, emphasizing that “the danger comes from three directions at the same time. From the east the war in Ukraine, from the south the ‘unrest in the Middle East’ and from the west the bankruptcy of Brussels.”
According to Orbán, who in current election polls is significantly behind, the world faces a devastating energy shortage, and “if the economy comes to a standstill, everything is at risk, including our achievements and our well-thought-out plans.”
One can only speculate as to whether these “well-thought-out plans” also included the alleged planned act of sabotage in Serbia. The only thing that is certain is that the issue is heating up the final spurt of the Hungarian election even further.
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