Hungary Expels Ukrainian Diplomats After Spy Arrests in Ukraine

Hungary has expelled two Ukrainian diplomats from the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest, accusing them of engaging in espionage activities.

The move was announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who framed the decision as a response to what he described as an anti-Hungarian campaign linked to Hungary’s stance on the war in Ukraine.

“We Hungarians want peace, we say “no” to war. We have never supplied weapons to Ukraine and we never will, and we have not allowed and will not allow ourselves to be drawn into this war, to draw Hungary into this war. These are the reasons for the smear campaigns launched against Hungary, and these are also the reasons for the smear campaign that Ukrainians have just launched against Hungary and Hungarians,” he said.

The announcement followed revelations by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which said it had dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Ukraine.

In response, Hungary declared two Ukrainian embassy staff members persona non grata, accusing them of working under diplomatic cover as intelligence agents.

According to the SBU, one of the alleged agents is a 40-year-old former soldier from the Berehove district in western Ukraine who was recruited by Hungarian intelligence in 2021 and placed on standby.

The man was reportedly tasked with gathering intelligence on a range of sensitive issues of the local population, including:

• local reactions to the potential deployment of a peacekeeping force involving Hungarian troops;
• availability of military equipment and weapons on the black market;
• migration trends among the local Hungarian population;
• deployment and strength of Ukrainian military and law enforcement units.

Ukrainian authorities said the agent later scouted military positions, including the locations of Ukrainian Defense Forces and S-300 air defense systems.

A second suspect, according to officials, is a former servicewoman who left the Ukrainian armed forces in 2025.
She is accused of passing intelligence to Hungary on aircraft movements and the military unit where she served.

Following their arrest, both suspects were ordered held in pre-trial detention without the option of bail.