In brief
In a surprising turn of events, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called for an emergency meeting after authorities found explosives near a pipeline crucial for Russian gas supply. This discovery coincides with significant electoral pressure on Orban's party. Opposition figures suggest that the incident could be a ploy aimed at rallying support ahead of elections, with theories suggesting it may be a 'false flag' operation intended to portray external threats.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has convened an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council after explosives were found near a pipeline that transports Russian gas to Hungary.
The discovery in a border area of neighbouring Serbia comes as Orban's party is badly trailing in opinion polls ahead of crucial elections next Sunday.
Opposition leader Peter Magyar accused him of 'panic-mongering' orchestrated by 'Russian advisers', days after security experts warned of a possible 'false flag' operation that could be blamed on Ukraine.
Orban, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has resisted EU calls to abandon Russian energy imports since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Hungarian security experts have predicted the possibility of a staged operation in Hungary or Serbia to garner sympathy for Orban's ruling Fidesz party, or to provide a rationale for declaring an emergency and delaying the election.
Serbian President Alexander Vucic informed Orban of the discovery of explosives and detonators near Tresnjevac, close to the TurkStream pipeline.
Orban's government claims the threat is real, emphasizing a pattern of Ukrainian actions against Hungary, while opposition criticizes Orban for leveraging the incident for electoral gain.
