Kremlin sends political technologists to Hungary to support Orban – media

The Kremlin has instructed a group of political technologists to intervene in the parliamentary elections in Hungary, which will be held in April 2026, to help the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban secure another victory, the VSquare resource reported, citing several "European sources in the field of national security."

Moscow has dispatched a team to Budapest to interfere in Hungary’s April 2026 parliamentary elections, according to multiple European national security sources cited by VSquare. The operation, overseen by Putin confidant Sergei Kiriyenko, aims to keep Viktor Orban in power using the same tactics Russia employed in Moldova, VSquare reported.

Kiriyenko was appointed head of Putin’s domestic politics in 2016 and has since expanded his portfolio to include foreign election interference. His most recent and aggressive intervention occurred in Moldova, where operatives under his direction organized voter bribery networks, troll farms and on-the-ground influence campaigns designed to undermine pro-European President Maia Sandu’s position, according to the publication.

The operation produced mixed results, but the same playbook is now being applied in Hungary, according to sources familiar with the intelligence, VSquare reported. National security sources from three different European countries said the intelligence has been shared with allied services and that many EU and NATO agencies have been briefed on the activities. The U.S. also shared classified intelligence on the matter in February, according to VSquare.

VSquare’s sources described the Budapest contingent as "a three-person team operating on behalf of the GRU," Russia’s military intelligence service.

The operational group arrived in Budapest several weeks ago, though it remains unclear whether it has begun its influence activities. All individuals have been identified by Western intelligence services, according to the report.

VSquare also claimed that Hungary is extremely accommodating to Russian military diplomats suspected of GRU ties, some of whom have established contacts in pro-government Hungarian media — including German-Hungarian pro-government propagandist Georg Spöttle, who maintained close relations with the Russian military attaché.

Pro-government media outlets have intensified their dissemination of pro-Kremlin narratives about Ukraine in recent months — a media environment that analysts say facilitates the type of influence operations in question. According to a Central European national security source, Kiriyenko’s Hungarian team maintains active contact with campaign participants linked to Orban’s government, VSquare reported.