Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has ordered the deployment of military units and increased police to protect energy infrastructure in the east of the country, citing concerns about the risk of potential attacks from Ukraine.
Mr. Orban announced the decision on February 25 amid tensions between Budapest and Kiev over the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline - a route transporting Russian crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia through Ukrainian territory until recently.
This pipeline stopped operating from the end of January 2026, when Kiev claimed it was damaged by Russian attacks - which Moscow denied. Meanwhile, Hungary and Slovakia accused Ukraine of deliberately stopping supply for political reasons and warned of possible retaliation.
Announcing the deployment of forces, Mr. Orban cited intelligence from Hungarian security agencies about the risk of an attack, and emphasized that the country "cannot be blackmailed by Kiev".
I have ordered increased protection of key infrastructure, deployed troops when necessary, increased police presence and banned drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) in Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg province" - he wrote on social network X, referring to the area bordering Ukraine.
The political advisor to the Hungarian Prime Minister - Mr. Balazs Orban - said that the information that Hungarian officials have obtained shows that Kiev "is preparing for further actions to disrupt Hungary's energy system".
This move comes after Budapest vetoed the European Union's (EU) latest sanctions package against Russia, as well as an emergency loan of 90 billion euros (106 billion USD) for Ukraine. The loan was agreed at the end of last year after Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic chose not to participate in financial contributions.
The veto decision has faced criticism from EU leaders, who accused Mr. Orban of withdrawing his commitment to supporting the lending mechanism and weakening "the credibility of decisions taken collectively".
Any violation of this commitment constitutes a violation of the principle of sincere cooperation," European Council President Antonio Costa wrote in a letter to Mr. Orban.
In response, the Hungarian Prime Minister declared that he would not support any moves that benefit Ukraine until Kiev "returns to normal".
We passed a financial decision that benefits Ukraine that I personally do not agree with, then Ukraine created an energy emergency in Hungary, and you asked me to pretend nothing happened" - the Hungarian leader wrote in a letter to EU Council leaders.
