Russia and Hungary Launch Disinformation to Justify Drone Strikes on Targets in Romania and Poland

Russian and Hungarian state propaganda has jointly accused Ukraine of planning a “false flag” operation — using refurbished Russian drones to strike targets in Poland and Romania in order to “draw NATO into war.”

The claims were published within hours of each other by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and the Hungarian news portal PestiSrácok, a pro-government outlet aligned with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party.

The source of the allegation was an unsigned editorial on PestiSrácok.

Citing “rumors circulating on Telegram,” the article accused Ukraine’s Security Service of preparing a plan to discredit Russia.

According to the editorial, Ukrainian intelligence and the armed forces plan to attack large logistics centers in Romania and Poland used to transport weapons to Ukraine. The strikes would allegedly be carried out with Russian-made drones launched from western Ukraine.

The piece also claimed that afterward, Ukraine’s presidential administration would organize a media campaign at home and abroad to accuse Moscow of attacking NATO territory.

Russia Picks Up the Narrative

Within hours of publication, Russian outlets amplified the Hungarian claims to lend them credibility. Zakharova accused Ukraine of seeking to create a casus belli for war between Russia and NATO.

Russia, with Hungarian support, appears to be creating an “information cover” for potential attacks on NATO logistics hubs, using its traditional tactic of flooding the information space with disinformation while officially denying any responsibility.

The campaign follows recent incidents in which Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Moscow responded by alleging these were “Ukrainian provocations.”

Russian propaganda and anonymous social accounts have spread claims that Ukraine is trying to draw NATO into the war, and that Ukrainian air defenses either “failed” or deliberately steered drones into Poland.

Researchers documented a wave of such posts across Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and X, some linked to Russian activity. The combined reach was about 30 million views.

The information campaign comes amid renewed tensions between Ukraine and Hungary, after a Hungarian reconnaissance drone was spotted deep in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region.