Ukraine and Hungary trade espionage accusations

Two detained on one side, two expelled on the other. Ukraine and Hungary traded accusations of espionage on Friday, speaking of undercover agents inside both states.

First, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported that two alleged Hungarian spies had been detained in the Transcarpathia region, near the border with Slovakia. In response, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjartó criticized the arrests and announced the expulsion of two people working at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest, accusing them of spying for Kiev.

In a lengthy statement published on the Telegram social network, the SBU denounced the discovery of a “network of Hungarian military intelligence agents who were spying against our country” and the arrest of two people who were allegedly involved in a “cell”.

“The task of this cell was to collect information about the military security of the Transcarpathia region, search for vulnerabilities in the region’s ground and air defense, and study the socio-political views of local residents : in particular, scenarios of their behavior if Hungarian troops entered the region,” the statement reads.

The two detainees are Ukrainian citizens, a 40-year-old man and a woman, who were reportedly contacted by Hungary through a representative of Budapest's intelligence service who reportedly worked with both of them on the ground to spy on the Ukrainian armed forces in that region, which has a large Hungarian minority and was part of Hungary until the end of the First World War.

The man was the first to be recruited, in 2021, and “activated” in 2024, having been “ tasked with studying the state of mind of the local population ”, the statement reveals.

“After gathering information, he traveled to Hungary to report to his supervisor. In order to cross the border, the traitor issued a certificate of care for his sick father, who needed treatment in foreign institutions,” the SBU alleges.

The detainee, according to the same source, left the Ukrainian armed forces in 2025 and her main functions would be to report on the presence of military helicopters and planes in the region .

“By forming this network of agents, foreign secret services hoped to expand the scope of intelligence gathering, including obtaining data from the front line,” the Ukrainian services added.

In response, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjartó called the denunciation of Ukrainian internal security the “latest smear campaign against Hungarians” coming from Kiev.

In a video posted on Instagram , the minister then announced the expulsion of “two spies who were working under diplomatic cover at the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest ,” citing these “campaigns” as the reason.