The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) uncovered and detained two individuals allegedly working as agents for Hungarian military intelligence in Zakarpattia Oblast, the security serviсe reported on 9 May.
This marks the first time in history that Ukraine has exposed such a network operating on its territory, according to the SBU.
SBU detained two agents from Hungarian secret service network.
“The investigation established that both suspects were managed by a Hungarian military intelligence officer, whose identity has already been confirmed,” the SBU reported.
One of the detained individuals is a 40-year-old former military serviceman from the Berehove district in Zakarpattia Oblast. Security officials report he was recruited and placed in a “waiting mode” by foreign handlers back in 2021, but was only “activated” in September 2024.
The agent received specific tasks to gather intelligence on several fronts. According to the investigation, he was ordered to study local public sentiment and obtain information about how military personnel and civilians in Zakarpattia would react if a “peacekeeping contingent, particularly Hungarian military forces, entered the region.”
The investigation found that the agent was also instructed to collect data on military equipment available on Zakarpattia’s black market, migration patterns of the ethnic Hungarian population, and details about defense forces stationed in the area.
The SBU reported that the suspect personally conducted reconnaissance on defense force positions and coordinates of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems in the oblast. After gathering intelligence, he traveled to Hungary to report to his handler, using documentation designating him as a caregiver for his sick father who needed treatment abroad.
“During the meeting, the Hungarian intelligence officer provided payment to the agent for completing his assignments,” the SBU said.
Investigators found that the man was tasked with developing a network of informants and attempted to recruit at least two people.
The second meeting took place in March. The suspect received a mobile phone with specialized software for secure communications, according to the SBU reports. New assignments followed, including identifying service vehicles of Ukrainian security and defense forces in Zakarpattia and reporting data about Ukrainian Armed Forces losses and updates from the front line.
The second detainee is a former servicewoman of the Security and Defense Forces who left her unit in 2025.
“She was tasked with informing the Hungarians about aircraft and helicopters in the oblast, as well as the defense systems of the military unit where she served,” according to the investigation.
Both suspects were arrested at their residences. SBU reportedly seized phones and other evidence during the searches.
“Ukraine still has a considerable old intelligence network that it inherited, and from media reports we can see that active recruitment of new agents is taking place,” Diachuk told Euromaidan Press.
Investigators have charged both individuals under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code – treason committed under martial law.
Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi Court has imposed a 60-day detention for the 40-year-old suspect in the spying activities for Hungary, starting from 8 May. The woman was imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention without bail, the press service of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court told Suspilne.
Hungarian Foreign Minister’s reaction
“That is why today we expelled two spies who were working under diplomatic cover at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest from Hungary. We delivered the decision and note to the Ukrainian ambassador in Budapest in the last few minutes here, in our office,” Péter Szijjártó said.
He also added that Ukraine allegedly “began slandering” Hungary because of Hungary’s unwillingness to “get dragged into the war” that Russia started against Ukraine.
The analyst at the Institute for Central European Strategy told Euromaidan Press that the quick Hungary’s reaction to the expulsion of Ukrainian diplomats may be an indication that Hungary is looking for more cards to block support for Ukraine.
Within the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stands out for his Moscow-friendly stance during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, consistently opposing military aid to Kyiv and Ukraine’s EU membership.
The analyst also said that this incident would be used for electoral purposes. Hungary is in the active phase of the election campaign, in which the ruling party portrays Ukraine as an enemy of the interests of the Hungarian people, according to Diachuk.
The ruling party in Hungary is the Fidesz party, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Hungarian minority issues in Ukraine’s border oblast
Relations between Hungary and Ukraine deteriorated before Russia’s 2022 invasion, primarily regarding Hungary’s minority in Ukraine. The dispute centered on Ukraine’s 2017 Education Act, which limited minority language use in schools.
Viktor Orbán accused Ukraine of “Hungarophobia” and threatened to block Ukraine’s EU and NATO aspirations over these issues. Initially, this stance garnered support from the ethnic Hungarian community in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Hungarians represent the largest minority in diverse Zakarpattia, which borders Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Their population has declined from approximately 150,000 to 70,000-80,000.
According to Financial Times in 2023, many ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine now distance themselves from Orbán due to his pro-Russia position. György Buleca, a local businessman, suggested Orbán was advancing Putin’s agenda: “The war has changed everything. The Hungarians in Zakarpattia don’t support Orbán anymore.”
Buleca dismissed minority rights as a non-issue, noting schools can teach in Hungarian until age 10, with Ukrainian gradually introduced afterward. “The law is the law. We are in Ukraine. Is it acceptable not to speak Ukrainian? No,” he stated. “Russia has exploited this issue, and Orbán serves as their instrument.”
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