Kremlin sends political strategists and intelligence to Hungary to help Orban win election, - media
The Kremlin is preparing to interfere in the parliamentary elections in Hungary, scheduled for April 2026. The goal is to help Prime Minister Viktor Orbán retain power.
As reported by Censor.NET, this was written by VSquare with reference to sources in European security services.
Details
The publication writes that the Russian dictator instructed his first deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kirienko, to "deal with" this.
The media calls him "the architect of Russia's entire political influence infrastructure, both domestic and foreign."
"Over the past two years, Kirienko has significantly expanded his powers, viewing foreign elections as an extension of Russia's political management tools," the article says.
According to journalists, it is Kirienko who is behind the campaign of Russian interference in the 2024 presidential elections in Moldova.
Kirienko is preparing a similar operation in Hungary together with Vadim Titov, head of the Main Directorate for Strategic Partnership and Cooperation.
What is the plan?
For the operation, Russia plans to deploy Russian experts in social media manipulation linked to the GRU military intelligence service.
The publication writes that the team may consist of approximately three people who will work from the Russian embassy in Budapest and will have diplomatic or service passports.
This will help them avoid prosecution.
"According to one Central European source, Kirienko's Hungarian task force is actively liaising with election campaign agents linked to the Orbán government," the article states.
