Hungary detained and deported another Ukrainian on suspicion of espionage

The Hungarian Counter-Terrorism Center (TEK) detained a former Ukrainian diplomat in Budapest whom Hungarian authorities suspect of espionage.

A video of the arrest was posted on the Hungarian government’s official Facebook page.

“Late last night, TEK officers arrested a Ukrainian citizen in central Budapest. The National Immigration Office issued him a ban on entry and residence due to espionage activities. After clarifying the circumstances, the authorities deported the middle-aged man from Hungary during the night, considering that his activities posed a significant threat to the sovereignty of our country. The person in question previously carried out his work under diplomatic cover, but his official status has now been terminated,” the Hungarian government reported.

According to the Hungarian media Telex, the former diplomat was exposed by Hungarian counterintelligence as an illegal intelligence agent.

Since he did not commit a crime, he was not arrested but deported under immigration procedures. According to the media, the deportee is already in Kyiv.

According to Ukrainian journalist Vitalii Hlahola, the person detained in Budapest was Serhiy Alexandrov, the former first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy.

He is currently not a diplomat and is in Hungary as a civilian. It has been established that Alexandrov owns two restaurants on Károly körút and Ráday utca streets in Budapest.

On May 9, the Security Service of Ukraine exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network that was spying on Ukraine.

The task of the Hungarian agents was to collect data on the presence and location of Ukrainian military forces and equipment, including air defense systems. They were also tasked with gathering information on the potential reaction of the military and civilian population of Zakarpattia in the event of the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent, including the participation of Hungarian troops.

A few hours later, Hungary called the exposure of its agents a “smear campaign against Hungarians” and expelled two Ukrainian diplomats working at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest, accusing them of espionage.

In addition, the Hungarian authorities stated that Ukraine’s announcement of the exposure of a Hungarian intelligence network on its territory allegedly indicates Kyiv’s cooperation with the opposition party Tisa, the main rival of the current government in the 2026 elections.

Following the deportation of two Ukrainian diplomats from Budapest, Ukraine ordered two Hungarian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours.