Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar on Monday, April 6, accused Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of staging a possible “false flag” operation after Serbia reported finding explosives near a pipeline carrying Russian gas to Hungary.
According to The Guardian, Orbán said on Sunday he had been informed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that explosives were discovered near an extension of the TurkStream pipeline, which supplies Russian gas to central and eastern Europe. He added that an investigation was underway and convened an emergency meeting of Hungary’s defense council.
Vučić said Serbian authorities found two backpacks containing explosives with detonators “a few hundred meters” from the pipeline in the northern municipality of Kanjiža. He described the incident as a potential threat to critical energy infrastructure.
The discovery comes one week before Hungary’s parliamentary election, in which Orbán faces a strong challenge from Magyar, a former member of the ruling Fidesz party.
Magyar said on Sunday that his party had received prior warnings that an incident involving a gas pipeline in Serbia could occur around Easter.
“Hungarians have every reason to fear that the outgoing prime minister… is attempting to instil fear in his own people through false-flag operations,” Magyar wrote on social media.
He did not provide evidence for the claim.
Political analyst Mujtaba Rahman of Eurasia Group also questioned the timing of the incident, describing it as a “seemingly convenient threat” that could heighten fears of external attacks.
The Hungarian government has not commented on Magyar’s accusations. Orbán said preliminary findings pointed to a “prepared act of sabotage” but did not directly assign blame.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó suggested Ukraine could be linked to recent energy disruptions but stopped short of blaming Kyiv for the incident.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry denied any involvement, calling the allegation “most probably a Russian false-flag operation.”
The incident follows months of escalating rhetoric from Orbán, who has accused Ukraine of threatening Hungary’s energy security and has opposed EU financial support for Kyiv.
Analysts have warned that security concerns could be used to influence voter sentiment ahead of the election, in which Orbán’s 16-year rule faces its most serious challenge.
Public concern over the integrity of Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary election has been rising in recent days.
A recent poll by the Publicus Institute found that 79% of Hungarians fear foreign interference or electoral manipulation ahead of the April 12 vote. Two-thirds of respondents said they believed the ruling Fidesz party would be the primary source of potential electoral misconduct, while 15% expressed similar concerns about the opposition Tisza party.
Only 30% of respondents said they believed the election would be fully fair.
Separate polling by the 21 Research Center showed Tisza leading with 56% support, compared to Fidesz’s 37%.
Meanwhile, Hungarian diplomatic missions abroad have reported a surge in voter registrations. Nearly 91,000 citizens have signed up to vote from abroad ahead of the election, compared to just under 65,500 in the previous parliamentary vote.
Despite presenting himself as an anti-establishment challenger, opposition leader Péter Magyar has taken positions on Ukraine that broadly align with those of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
According to a report by Politico, Magyar has so far not outlined a significantly different approach toward Kyiv, raising questions about whether a change in government would substantially shift Hungary’s foreign policy.
EU officials have expressed frustration with Orbán’s repeated blocking of support for Ukraine, but a policy reset under a new government remains uncertain.