Fri May 09 11:50:42 UTC 2025: ## Ukraine Accuses Hungary of Spying, Expels Two in Retaliation
**Kyiv, Ukraine** – Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced Friday the arrest of two former Ukrainian military personnel accused of spying for Hungarian military intelligence. The SBU alleges the pair, a 40-year-old man and a woman, were recruited to gather intelligence on Ukrainian defense systems in the western Zakarpattia region, bordering Hungary. The suspects allegedly received cash and specialized communication equipment to collect data on air defense batteries and other military capabilities. They face life imprisonment on treason charges. The SBU claims this is the first discovered Hungarian spy network operating against Ukraine.
In response to what it called a “propaganda campaign,” Hungary expelled two Ukrainian embassy staff members Friday, whom it identified as spies. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto dismissed the Ukrainian accusations as propaganda, linking them to Hungary’s reluctance to provide military aid to Ukraine.
The escalating tensions highlight the already strained relationship between Kyiv and Budapest, exacerbated by Hungary’s support of Russian narratives regarding the war and its historically close ties with Moscow. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has consistently delayed Western military aid to Ukraine and maintained warm relations with President Vladimir Putin, a stance at odds with many European Union partners. Hungary has also long voiced concerns about the treatment of its ethnic Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia. The SBU alleges the suspected spies were also tasked with assessing local sentiment towards a potential Hungarian military incursion. The incident marks a significant escalation in the conflict between the two nations.
First Piper 