Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election

Hungary Alleges Plot to Blow Up Gas Pipeline Ahead of Election

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban summoned an emergency session of the National Defence Council following the detection of explosives near a Russian gas pipeline in a border region with Serbia. The find occurs amid mounting pressure on his party as polls show a significant deficit in the upcoming elections. Opposition leader Peter Magyar criticized Orban’s response, claiming it was a “panic-mongering” tactic backed by “Russian advisers,” a day after security analysts cautioned about a potential “false flag” attack that could be attributed to Ukraine.

Orban, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has consistently opposed EU efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy since the Ukraine invasion began. Recent warnings from Hungarian security experts suggest the explosives might have been placed on either Hungarian or Serbian soil to sway public sentiment in favor of his Fidesz party or justify postponing the vote. Serbian President Alexander Vucic, a staunch supporter of Orban, informed him of the discovery on Sunday. According to Vucic, the Serbian military uncovered two rucksacks containing explosives and detonators near Tresnjevac village, approximately 20km from the TurkStream pipeline’s entry point into Hungary.

“Our units found an explosive of devastating power,” Vucic stated on Instagram. “I told PM Orban that we would keep him updated on the investigation.”

The TurkStream pipeline, vital for Hungary’s energy supply, delivers between five and eight billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually. Both Hungary and Slovakia rely on this infrastructure for their energy needs. Balint Pasztor, president of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association, and another Orban-linked figure shared a Facebook post asserting that if the investigation confirms the pipeline, not Hungary itself, was the target, the attack was likely orchestrated to support Orban’s political goals.

Fidesz’s campaign has centered on opposing Ukraine, with Orban emphasizing that Hungary’s low heating and fuel prices depend on affordable Russian oil and gas. The oil comes via Ukraine, while the gas flows through the Balkans. Orban accuses a “Kyiv-Brussels-Berlin” alliance of conspiring to disrupt Hungary’s access to cheap Russian fuel and replace him with a “puppet” leader. He warns that a government led by his rival, Magyar, could push Hungary into a European conflict with Russia.

Orban has previously blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an “oil blockade,” citing the absence of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline since January. Ukraine maintains the pipeline was damaged during a Russian attack and anticipates its restoration by mid-April. Despite this, no formal accusations of Ukrainian involvement in the pipeline incident have been made. A Serbian official hinted to the BBC that the investigation might reveal ties to Ukraine as early as Monday, when Serbian authorities plan to release initial findings.

Security analyst Andras Racz forecasted on Facebook that a “fake attack” on the TurkStream pipeline could be staged in Serbia. He predicted the explosives would be traced back to Ukraine, allowing Orban to redirect blame to Kyiv. Peter Buda, a former Hungarian counter-intelligence officer, told the BBC that the operation was designed to benefit Orban by shaping public opinion before the election.