FT: Kremlin Leads Covert Mission In Hungary

How Putin is trying to save Orban's rating.

Russia has secretly launched a disinformation campaign in Hungary - to strengthen Prime Minister Viktor Orban's position ahead of the April 12 election and undermine his main rival Peter Magyar.

This is reported by Financial Times.

Who is behind the campaign

Putin's administration has approved the Social Design Agency's proposal: to fill Hungarian social networks with content developed in Russia, but distributed through local influencers.

According to the FT, the operation is likely to be led by Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin's influential deputy chief of staff. He has previously led similar campaigns in other countries.

What Russia is planning

The campaign has two goals: to boost Orban's approval ratings and destroy the reputation of his rival, Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisa party, which is ahead of Fidesz in the polls.

Orbán is portrayed as "a strong leader with global friends" and Magyar as "a Brussels puppet without external support."

There are also planned "information attacks" against Tisza - attempting to show the party as torn by "incompetence, discord and hidden agendas."

The agency is aware of the risk: direct support from Russia could hurt Orbán. Therefore, there is no direct contact with the Hungarian government.

"When intervening in electoral narratives, it should be taken into account that direct support from Russia could have the opposite effect," the proposal itself says.

Content will look local - adapted memes, videos, infographics and materials tailored to the Hungarian audience. The agency has been monitoring Hungarian media and think tanks since February and has already selected about 50 pro-Orbanov and 30 opposition accounts to distribute the materials.

The information campaign is also directed against Ukraine

Anti-Ukrainian narratives have also become more active in Hungarian social networks.

Last week, Hungarian authorities detained Ukrainian citizens with cash and gold. According to the publication, the pro-Orban tabloid Ripost.hu published the material with fake images - and the Facebook post alone garnered 130,000 reactions in a few days, mostly from foreign users. This is atypical for the Hungarian segment of the web.

Separately, the independent publication VSquare reported that three GRU military intelligence officers were sent to the Russian embassy in Budapest. Magyar called for their expulsion and declared, "Russians, go home" - alluding to the 1956 anti-communist uprising.

At the same time, Orban increased pressure on Kiev. After Ukraine refused to repair a pipeline to transport Russian oil - damaged by Russia's own strike - the Hungarian prime minister blocked a 90 billion euro EU loan to Ukraine and vowed to veto any plan favorable to Kiev.

Hungarian billboards, meanwhile, have been filled with images of money being "flushed down a golden toilet" and artificial intelligence videos showing the deaths of Hungarian soldiers at the front.

The Russians and the Hungarian government reject any accusations and call them fakes.

We recall that the leader of the Hungarian opposition Tisza party, Peter Magyar, accused Prime Minister Viktor Orban of inviting Russian GRU agents to Hungary to interfere in the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12.

Magyar said the special agents had already arrived in Budapest several weeks ago - just as they had previously operated in Moldova. He called for their expulsion from the country and the convening of the National Security Committee.

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