Goulash: Putin’s Priest from Karlovy Vary at the FSB HQ Shooting Range; Article 7 Against Slovakia

FRESH FROM VSQUARE

BAD PRACTICE: HOW BANNED DOCTORS FIND NEW JOBS ACROSS EUROPE

Across Europe, doctors who lost their licenses for serious misconduct are still finding new jobs in other countries — thanks to weak warning systems and lazy oversight. After OCCRP and its partners started asking questions, regulators in several countries opened investigations. For example, authorities in Germany have launched an investigation into a doctor who previously lost his license in Switzerland after being convicted of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old patient. The “Bad Practice” project uncovered over 100 cases — including from all Visegrád countries — of banned doctors still working. Read the local versions of the story in Czech, Hungarian and Slovak, and the regional summary in English on VSquare.

THE COMEBACK OF ANDREJ BABIŠ: HOW HE WON AGAIN AND WHAT COMES NEXT IN PRAGUE

Andrej Babiš pulled off his comeback by promising more welfare, pensions, and better healthcare — hitting the right notes with his aging voters. His ANO movement managed to attract anti-establishment voters without going fully far-right or far-left. While the defeated Czech government focused heavily on foreign policy and defense, Babiš zeroed in on people’s wallets. (Note: Hungary’s next election will likely be driven by similar dynamics.) Read Tamara Kaňuchová’s analysis with insights from Pavel Havlíček here.

SPICY SCOOPS

There is always a lot of information that we hear and find interesting and newsworthy but don’t publish as part of our investigative reporting — and share instead in this newsletter. 

HOLY SMOKE: PUTIN’S KARLOVY VARY PRIEST CAUGHT AT THE FSB HQ’S SHOOTING RANGE

While the KGB past of Russian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill — codename “Mikhailov” — is well known, details of his subordinates’ intelligence ties are usually much murkier. Just before sending out this newsletter, I posted a video on my social media showing Kirill’s former deputy, Metropolitan Hilarion — once head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s foreign relations and later head of its Hungarian branch — at an FSB shooting range. In the clip, Hilarion is seen firing a pistol. Not exactly the image of pious humility — or peace and love — one might expect from the clergy. Multiple experts I consulted, along with Czech journalist Lukáš Prchal of Deník N, identified the weapon as a standard-issue Makarov MP-443 “Grach,” used by both the FSB and the Russian military, and the target as an N4 Russian military type. There’s more. Both his and my sources identified the location as being at the FSB’s main headquarters in Moscow on Lubyanka Square — which previously served as the KGB’s HQ.

Moreover, according to the source who provided the footage, Hilarion bragged about his shooting skills, allegedly praised by a high-ranking FSB general friend — though judging from how clumsily he holds the gun, he might want to stick to preaching. The same source says Hilarion has been involved in several business ventures with that FSB general from the Moscow region, which could explain his presence at the shooting range. The footage doesn’t prove Hilarion is an FSB agent or asset like his boss Kirill, but it certainly doesn’t scream “man of peace,” either. Hilarion’s Hungarian chapter adds its own twist. Soon after arriving in Budapest in 2022, he swiftly obtained Hungarian citizenship — and not just him, but his mother as well, under the pretext of “family reunification.” According to multiple sources familiar with the process, this was done with the help of Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, who oversees diaspora and naturalization matters and had developed a close working relationship with Hilarion. There’s obviously the question of how this could happen, given the national security risks evident from the location where the video was shot.

Then came 2024, when Hilarion became embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal: his former assistant, George Suzuki, accused him of unwanted sexual advances and flaunting a lavish lifestyle, backing the claims with photos and recordings. Hilarion was reprimanded and sent home by the Russian church — only to reappear in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, replacing another Russian orthodox priest expelled for aiding Russian espionage from the Church of Saint Peter and Paul. More recently, Suzuki has made new allegations linking Hilarion to Semjén and to Russian oligarchs. Suzuki also claimed that although Hilarion is still officially assigned to the Czech Republic, he actually continues to spend time in Hungary. Neither Hilarion nor the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office where Semjén works responded to my requests for comment — and we’re not aware of any prosecution against Hilarion by Hungary.

NETHERLANDS PREPARES POSSIBLE ARTICLE 7 AGAINST FICO’S SLOVAKIA

According to my EU diplomatic sources, the Dutch government is seriously considering triggering an Article 7 procedure against Slovakia over its recent constitutional changes. Article 7 of the EU Treaty is a disciplinary mechanism that can ultimately lead to sanctions — including suspension of a member state’s voting rights — if it breaches the Union’s core values such as democracy, rule of law, or human rights. The step follows an October 16 Dutch parliamentary resolution urging a firm response to what lawmakers view as violations of EU law and restrictions on LGBTQ rights. My sources added that the Dutch government is now quietly testing support among other member states but would actually prefer the European Commission to first launch an infringement case before the EU Court of Justice.

This also comes shortly after Robert Fico’s ruling Smer party was expelled from the Party of European Socialists at its Amsterdam congress on October 17, fully losing the protection of its mainstream European family. (Note: tougher EU action against Viktor Orbán’s Hungary also started after his Fidesz party got pushed out from the European People’s Party.) Meanwhile, yesterday’s Dutch parliamentary elections point to a liberals-led future government — likely led by the country’s first openly gay prime minister — that is expected to be even more critical of Slovakia than the current one. On the other hand, one of my sources also mentioned that the initiative can have unintended consequences — pushing Hungary and Slovakia into an even closer cooperation, including when it comes to vetoing and blocking Ukraine and Russia related joint action.

TRUMP SENDS NURSING HOME TYCOON TO TAKE CARE OF ORBÁN

Donald Trump’s pick for the next US ambassador to Hungary, Benjamin Landa, has surprised many US–Hungary watchers — partly because the appointment came so late. Like other nominees, Landa will face a Senate confirmation hearing that could get interesting, given the paper trail around his businesses. No one quite knows why he was picked, but it’s safe to assume his vetting wasn’t exactly thorough. Landa is a New York businessman who owns or co-owns dozens of nursing homes across the US, several of which have been under heavy scrutiny.

A 2022 American Prospect investigation titled “The Nursing Home Slumlord Manifesto” — which Landa sued over and lost — detailed his record. In 2019, a federal judge found him and his partner liable for threatening over 200 Filipino nurses: “U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon found that the nursing homes’ owners, Benjamin Landa and Bent Philipson, are personally liable for violations of the anti-trafficking law. … Filipino nurses were not paid the prevailing wages promised in their employment contracts, and that they were required to work in unsafe conditions with inadequate staffing.” And in 2022, New York’s attorney general sued one of Landa’s homes for allegedly misusing $18 million in public funds, while “disinvestment led to chronic understaffing, inhumane conditions, and harm to residents.” And there are many more similar stories.

My sources, closely following US–Hungarian relations, expect Landa to establish a friendly relationship with Viktor Orbán, just as Trump’s previous ambassador, David Cornstein — another New York businessman with a flair for jewelry and gambling — famously did. Their friendship was immortalized by a New York Times story describing the two chatting on Orbán’s plane “stripped to their underwear.” Orbán, ever the charmer, has a knack for turning MAGA allies and Republican ambassadors alike into lobbyists for his cause. He’s due in Washington, D.C. next week, still dreaming of a Trump–Putin “peace summit” in Budapest — and of somehow convincing Trump to drop Russian energy sanctions. We’ll see how that goes.

SECOND HELPINGS

We’d already reported but the story went on… here’s a second bite of our previous stories and scoops.

Romanowski and Ziobro indeed met in Budapest. As my sources hinted in the previous issue of Goulash, fugitive Polish ex–deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski appeared at a Budapest screening of a Polish pro–Law and Justice propaganda film — where, for the first time since fleeing to Hungary and receiving asylum from Viktor Orbán, he reunited with his former boss, ex–justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro. A day after Ziobro’s appearance in Budapest, Poland’s current justice minister announced a motion to lift Ziobro’s immunity so he could be charged with 26 crimes — including those related to his role in acquiring the Pegasus spyware, which was used to spy on political rivals. Fun fact: I was traveling to Warsaw that evening and even double-checked my fellow passengers looking for Ziobro — he wasn’t there. Now Poland is wondering whether he’ll ever return, or if he’ll try to evade justice with Orbán’s help (who just received him in his office on Thursday), too. In another previous issue, I had also reported that other Polish “asylum seekers” may soon emerge, though the bet was on another ex-deputy justice minister, Dariusz Matecki.

The Emirati tycoon who missed out on building a skyscraper in Budapest has now bought the Hungarian Ministry of Interior instead. The building, that is. Yes, really: after this newsletter first revealed secret Hungarian government plans to sell a massive plot of land to Burj Khalifa developer Mohammed Alabbar for erecting the continent’s tallest skyscraper, public outrage and resistance from the Budapest municipality stalled — or at least delayed, but didn’t really kill — the project. In the meantime, Alabbar has purchased prime real estate on the Pest side of Budapest’s scenic Chain Bridge: the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior for €130 million. Welcome to Hungary!

MORE FROM OUR PARTNERS

If you like our scoops and stories, here are some more articles from our partners!

SURVEILLANCE SECRETS: A SECRET ARCHIVE OF GLOBAL TRACKING THROUGH PHONE NETWORKS. Newsrooms from several international media outlets, including Investigace.cz, have obtained an unprecedented archive documenting the surveillance of individuals in over a hundred countries. (Text in Czech and in English on Lighthouse Reports.)

“THE SITUATION IS TENSE” – HOW ORBÁN HAS TRIED TO OVERCOME FIDESZ’S INTERNAL CRISIS. Direkt36’s latest investigation reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how Viktor Orbán’s ruling party’s campaign has been faltering since the spring, unable to stop opposition leader Péter Magyar’s rise. (Text in Hungarian and English.)

A ROUNDABOUT LEADING NOWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD, BUILT WITH 500 MILLION FORINTS OF EU MONEY. Which amounts to €1.3 million — Átlátszó’s story is another prime example of EU fund misuse, and a particularly photogenic one. (Text in Hungarian and English.)

KALIŇÁK’S COMPANY IS REGISTERED AT THE ADDRESS OF PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THE ARMS MANUFACTURER GRAND POWER — THE SAME COMPANY FROM WHICH HE WANTS TO BUY 20,000 RIFLES FOR SOLDIERS. The Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak reports on a planned arms deal involving a far-right supplier, low-quality weapons, and, of course, suspicions of corruption. What could possibly go wrong? (Text in Slovak.)

DESSERT AND FURTHER READINGS

For those still hungry for more, we’re finishing today’s menu with a couple of recommendations from our friends and colleagues.

SHIPS ACCUSED OF STEALING UKRAINIAN GRAIN LINKED TO ASSAD REGIME FRONT. Three Syrian cargo ships accused of smuggling grain from Russian-occupied Ukraine are linked, through a Seychelles company, to a front for Bashar al-Assad’s regime, an OCCRP and SIRAJ investigation reveals.

MASS RALLIES IN BUDAPEST BY FIDESZ AND TISZA MARK HUNGARY’S NATIONAL HOLIDAY. Denník N’s Veronika Munk sums up in her English language newsletter how Hungary’s rival parties turned the national commemoration of the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution into political rallies — detailing what Orbán and opposition leader Péter Magyar said, and how the campaign for the April 2026 parliamentary elections is heating up.

SLOVAKIA TURNS THE PAGE ON RUSSIAN FOSSIL FUELS. Most of the focus is on Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy, but the EU’s phase-out also affects Slovakia. Eva Mihočková explains the situation in Visegrád Insight.

MAJOR BANKS PUMP $1.6 TRILLION INTO FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY AS WORLD NEARS CLIMATE TIPPING POINT. Major banks are effectively betting on climate failure, wagering that the global transition from fossil fuels will stall and the 1.5°C target will be missed, analysts tell Follow the Money.

This was VSquare’s 52nd Goulash newsletter. I hope you gobbled it up. Come back soon for another serving. 

Still hungry? Check the previous newsletter issues here! 

SZABOLCS PANYI & THE VSQUARE TEAM