Zelenskyy reveals details of Hungarian intelligence operation in Ukraine's Zakarpattia
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Hungarian military intelligence is operating in Zakarpattia while Ukraine is at war with Russia. Budapest was interested in how the residents of the region would react to the peacekeepers, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the Hungarian Valasz.
According to Zelenskyy, Budapest tried to interfere in Ukraine's internal affairs in dozens of different ways. For example, Kyiv stopped the illegal distribution of passports in Zakarpattia before the war. And most issues were resolved without publicity.
However, in May 2025, the SBU announced the arrest of Hungarian spies in Zakarpattia.
“Why did we make the current case public? We have additional photos and videos of various meetings organized by the Hungarian Military National Security Service (KNBSZ) on Hungarian territory, which we will also publish if necessary. I don’t want to threaten anyone, but we do have everything in our possession," he said.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine knows how KNBSZ paid its spies. “We have documented everything. The Hungarian network has been developed since 2021, and military-related questions were raised in 2024-25. The most recent information transfer took place on 25 March this year,” the president added.
Zalenskyy said that KNBSZ was looking for Ukraine's vulnerabilities in the border region.
“Why did the Hungarians want information about where we had deployed the S-300 air defense missile system there? That’s what they were interested in. They even had a list of questions on their phones – we have them too – with eleven questions, including what the people of Transcarpathia would say about the presence of Hungarian peacekeepers. And where our various military units are stationed. How should we respond to this in times of war?” he said.
Zelenskyy asked NATO officials if they had requested the Hungarians to collect data on such issues. “They replied that they had not. I am the president of a country at war – how would you have reacted if you were in my place?” he added.
Zalenskyy said that he does not blame Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but blames KNBSZ.
Hungarian spies
On May 9, the Security Service of Ukraine reported the exposure of Hungarian military intelligence agents operating in the Zakarpattia region.
As part of a special operation, the SBU detained two agents who worked under the control of a Hungarian intelligence officer.
In response, Hungary expelled two Ukrainian diplomats, accusing them of espionage.
