Emergency Meeting Called After Explosives Found Near Pipeline
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has convened an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council following the discovery of explosives near a pipeline transporting Russian gas to Hungary.
The explosives were found in a border area of neighbouring Serbia, coinciding with Orban's party trailing significantly in opinion polls ahead of critical elections scheduled for next Sunday.
Opposition Accuses Orban of Panic-Mongering
Opposition leader Peter Magyar accused Orban of "panic-mongering" orchestrated by "Russian advisers," shortly after security experts warned of a potential "false flag" operation that could be attributed to Ukraine.
Orban, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has resisted European Union calls to cease Russian energy imports since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Speculation of Staged Operation to Influence Election
In recent weeks, Hungarian security experts have suggested the possibility of a staged operation, potentially on Hungarian or Serbian soil, designed to generate sympathy for Orban and bolster his Fidesz party's chances in the election or to provide grounds for declaring an emergency to postpone or cancel the vote.
Serbian President Alexander Vucic, a close ally of Orban, informed the Hungarian leader of the discovery on Sunday morning.
Details of Explosives Discovery
Two rucksacks containing explosives and detonators were found by the Serbian army near the village of Tresnjevac in the Kanjiza district, approximately 20km (12 miles) from where the TurkStream pipeline crosses into Hungary.
"Our units found an explosive of devastating power," Vucic said in an Instagram post. "I told PM Orban that we would keep him updated on the investigation."
Hungary receives between five and eight billion cubic metres of Russian gas annually through the TurkStream pipeline, which is a critical supply route for both Hungary and Slovakia.
Balint Pasztor, president of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association and another key Orban ally, posted on Facebook:
"If the investigation proves that we were not the primary target after all, but rather Hungary's supply lines, then this makes it even clearer: the terrorist attack was planned with the aim of bringing down Viktor Orban."
Fidesz Campaign and Energy Politics
Fidesz has centered its election campaign on hostility towards Ukraine.
At election rallies, Orban has emphasized that low heating and fuel prices in Hungary are only possible due to cheap Russian oil and gas, both delivered via pipeline—oil through Ukraine and gas through the Balkans.
Orban alleges a "Kyiv-Brussels-Berlin" axis is conspiring to prevent Hungary from obtaining cheap Russian fuel and to install their "puppet" prime minister Magyar in the upcoming election. He warns that a Tisza government would drag Hungary into a European war against Russia.
Orban has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of imposing "an oil blockade" on Hungary, noting that no Russian oil has arrived through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory, since late January.
Ukraine states the pipeline was damaged in a Russian attack and is expected to be operational again by mid-April.
Investigation and Potential Accusations
There have been no official allegations of Ukrainian involvement in the pipeline incident to date. However, a well-informed Serbian source told the BBC that such accusations could be made as early as Monday, when Serbian authorities are expected to release initial investigation results.
The Ukrainian government preempted any accusations on Sunday. Foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyy stated on X:
"Ukraine has nothing to do with this. Most probably, a Russian false-flag operation as part of Moscow's heavy interference in Hungarian elections."
Warnings of Possible Fake Attack
On 2 April, Hungarian security expert Andras Racz warned on Facebook that a "fake attack" on the TurkStream pipeline could be staged inside Serbia.
Racz also predicted that the explosives would be identified as Ukrainian, enabling Orban to blame Kyiv once again.
Former senior Hungarian counter-intelligence officer Peter Buda told the BBC:
"We had some solid preliminary information about this operation, including details about the place and possible timing. It's clear that Ukraine's interests aren't at stake here. An operation like this would help Orban before the election by influencing public opinion in his favour."
Hungarian Government Affirms Threat is Real
The Hungarian government maintains that the threat is genuine. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook:
"In the past few days and weeks, we've seen it all. The Ukrainians organised an oil blockade against us. Then they tried to impose a total energy blockade on us by firing dozens of drones at the TurkStream pipeline while it was still on Russian territory. And now we have today's incident, in which Serbian colleagues found explosives capable of blowing up the pipeline."
Opposition Denounces Orban and Serbian President
Opposition leader Peter Magyar accused Orban, in cooperation with Serbian President Vucic, of staging the latest incident.
"He will not be able to prevent next Sunday's election. He will not be able to prevent millions of Hungarians from ending the most corrupt two decades in our country's history."
