The Truth About Hungary’s ‘Russia Hoax’

Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign was nearly destroyed by a smear campaign coordinated at the highest levels of political, intelligence, and media circles, which claimed he was colluding with Russia. The subsequent investigation cleared Trump’s name and proved it was all just a hoax, yet he still had to fight the baseless accusations for much of his first term.

We see the same pattern, the same narrative being spread right now in Hungary. It started with journalist Szabolcs Panyi—a figure known to be connected with Soros-funded NGO networks and working for publications formerly financed by USAID—claiming that Russian intelligence agents had come to Hungary weeks ago to influence public perception on behalf of Fidesz. Panyi’s article lacked any evidence, yet the opposition parties and media immediately picked it up as proof of Russian interference, and have been using it as a centerpiece in their campaign ever since.

It became clear that the hoax didn’t originate from Hungary when the Washington Post joined in last weekend, citing an unnamed EU country’s intelligence agency as their source, claiming that Russian agents were planning to fake an assassination attempt on Orbán–likewise, without proof. WaPo also claimed Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó has been reporting the decisions of the EU Council to Russia–a ridiculous accusation, given that Council decisions are public. Nonetheless, it’s being framed as part of the supposed collusion, and the narrative is being spread internationally. The story centers on the assumption that a potential incident would fundamentally change the campaign themes, prioritizing state security and political stability over economic issues.

The author of the WaPo article, British journalist Catherine Belton, is not new to the job. She spent more than a decade and a half in Russia, where she worked as the Moscow correspondent for the Financial Times. It is therefore surprising, to say the least, that such a seasoned reporter would publish such serious allegations without proper verification. Or is it not? A few weeks ago, Belton was in Hungary (invited by the British embassy) to promote the Hungarian edition of her book titled Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West.

Soon after the WaPo piece was published, details of the conspiracy came to light. On Monday, a leaked audio recording was released, in which Panyi admits working together with the secret services of an unnamed EU country (likely the same as WaPo’s “source”) and helping them spy on the Foreign Minister in exchange for the intel they gather. Panyi also admits that he’s working closely with the leadership of the opposition Tisza Party and says he would even have influence over government decisions if Tisza were elected. Him, or rather the foreign agencies and interests behind him.

It is clear from the beginning that Hungary’s “Russia hoax” is just as much of a coordinated disinformation campaign as the one in the U.S. was. It is meant not only to help boost the opposition’s chances, but also to delegitimize the results in case Fidesz wins. And, of course, to divert attention from the opposition’s own election interference scandals: the obvious collusion between the Tisza Party and both the Ukrainian government and the European Commission.

It was President Zelensky himself who admitted that he’s blocking access to Hungary’s oil imports through the Druzhba pipeline for political reasons, with the goal of driving up fuel prices ahead of the election and turning voters against the government. Jeopardizing Hungary’s energy security to influence its elections is a clear violation of the EU-Ukraine Partnership Agreement, yet Brussels lets Kyiv get away with it. Worst still, all signs point to Kyiv and Tisza coordinating on the oil blockade from day one, as one of Zelensky’s top advisors told Politico that the president’s office is in regular contact with the Hungarian opposition’s campaign team. And needless to say, there’s no plot to fake the assassination of the prime minister; it was President Zelensky who openly threatened the life of PM Orbán.

As for Brussels, it was recently revealed that the European Commission is using the pretext of the Russia hoax to activate its social media censorship regime under the DSA and force Meta, among other companies, to restrict the visibility of PM Orbán’s content, while boosting the posts of Tisza leader Péter Magyar. This is not new: a recent U.S. Judiciary GOP report shows that since 2023, the Commission  has interfered in at least seven European elections on behalf of its political allies.

Both Ukraine’s unlawful oil blockade and the EU Commission’s manipulation of social media algorithms are clear examples of real foreign interference in the Hungarian election—as opposed to the Russia hoax.

The reason the Commission and Ukraine interfere in the Hungarian election is simple: Hungary is the only EU country that has consistently resisted Brussels’ push to get Europe involved in the war in Ukraine, which is against Hungarian (and European) interests. Hungary refuses to send taxpayer money to finance the war while Brussels is not even willing to negotiate for peace; it refuses to give up its energy security and import from much more expensive sources at a time of global energy crisis; and it refuses to let Ukraine join the EU before all conditions are met and a stable peace is achieved, otherwise it risks decimating its economy and importing the war into the EU.

These are all sensible decisions that align with Hungarian national interests and are shared by the vast majority of Hungarians. Brussels, Kyiv, and those member states whose intelligence communities are caught spreading this disinformation are all determined to change Hungary’s position on Ukraine by helping the opposition come to power.