Hungarian Doormat
Russia aims to steal an election for its top EU placeman
(Urban with ‘Putin’ in the Kremlin, November 28th, 2025)
Viktor Orban has long been the Kremlin’s snake in grass.
Since becoming Hungary’s prime minister of Hungary from 1998 to 2002, then from 2010 until now, he has systematically disrupted EU and NATO efforts to counter Russian aggression and support Ukraine. With Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, he has been the only EU leader to visit Moscow since 2022.
He was recently instrumental in blocking the EU’s 20th sanctions package and $90 billion in financing for Ukraine secured by confiscated Russian assets.
In advance of April 12th elections, Orban is trailing Peter Magyar, the pro-European conservative liberal leader of the Respect and Freedom Party (TISZA)
(Peter Magyar in 2024 [Reuters/Bernadett Szabo])
As in Moldova, Romania and other democracies last year, Moscow is scrambling to steal the vote for Orban. According to recent reports citing European intelligence sources, the Kremlin has tasked former prime minister Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the presidential administration, with ensuring Orban wins.
Moscow is reportedly sending military intelligence specialists in online electoral manipulation to Budapest. They and others active on the Hungarian front report to Vadim Titov, head of a major Kremlin unit dedicated to such campaigns.
As you will recall, such tactics nearly brought down democracy in Moldova last year. President Maia Sandu and her allies narrowly prevailed, ensuring Moldova continues on a path of European integration. In Romania, Nicusor Dan only won because results of a Russia-tainted election in 2024 were overturned by the constitutional court.
