Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election

Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban summoned an urgent session of the National Defence Council following the discovery of explosives close to a vital Russian gas pipeline. The find occurred in a border region of Serbia, as Orban’s ruling Fidesz party faces significant challenges in opinion polls before the pivotal elections on April 3. Opposition leader Peter Magyar criticized Orban for “panic-mongering” linked to “Russian advisers,” just days after security analysts cautioned about a potential “false flag” operation that could shift blame to Ukraine.

Orban, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has consistently opposed EU efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy since the invasion of Ukraine. In recent weeks, Hungarian security experts suggested a staged attack, either in Hungary or Serbia, might be designed to sway public opinion in favor of Orban or justify postponing the election. Serbian President Alexander Vucic, another key ally of Orban, informed him of the discovery on Sunday. Two rucksacks filled with explosives and detonators were found near the village of Tresnjevac in the Kanjiza district, about 20km from where the TurkStream pipeline enters Hungary.

“Our units discovered an explosive of devastating power,” Vucic stated on Instagram. “I assured PM Orban we would provide regular updates on the investigation.”

Hungary receives between five and eight billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually via the TurkStream pipeline, which also serves Slovakia. Balint Pasztor, head of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association, and another Orban associate claimed on Facebook that if the attack was not aimed at Hungary, it would “clearly” be a move to undermine Orban’s political position.

Fidesz has made anti-Ukraine rhetoric central to its election strategy. At campaign events, Orban emphasized that Hungary’s affordable energy prices depend on Russian oil and gas, with oil passing through Ukraine and gas via the Balkans. He accused a “Kyiv-Brussels-Berlin” alliance of conspiring to block access to cheap Russian fuel, potentially installing a “puppet” leader in Magyar and dragging Hungary into a European conflict with Russia.

Orban previously blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an “oil blockade” after the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukraine, ceased delivering Russian oil in January. Ukraine asserts the pipeline was damaged by Russian forces and expects it to resume operations by mid-April. Although no formal accusations of Ukrainian involvement have been made yet, a Serbian source hinted to the BBC that the investigation might reveal Ukrainian ties as early as Monday.

On April 2, Hungarian security analyst Andras Racz warned on Facebook that a “fake attack” on the TurkStream pipeline could be staged in Serbia. He predicted the explosives would be traced to Ukrainian sources, reinforcing Orban’s claim of Kyiv’s responsibility. “We had solid preliminary information about this operation, including location and timing details,” said former counter-intelligence officer Peter Buda. “This attack would benefit Orban by shaping public sentiment in his favor.”

The Hungarian government insists the threat is genuine, stating on Facebook: “In recent days and weeks, we’ve seen it all—the Ukrainians blocked our oil, launched drones at the TurkStream pipeline while it was still on Russian soil, and now we’ve found explosives capable of destroying it.” Despite these claims, Magyar accused Orban and Vucic of orchestrating the incident to secure political advantage.