Hungary’s Government Falsely Links Independent Media to Ukrainian Intelligence Plot

Szabolcs Panyi (VSquare),
Photo: Zoltán Fischer (Hungarian PM's Office) 2025-02-21

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No Hungarian media outlet, journalist, or individual was named in the intelligence report, which Orbán’s propaganda machine used to falsely accuse Direkt36 and other independent media of being paid and participating in a Ukrainian intelligence campaign aimed at “smearing” Viktor Orbán.

With Donald Trump’s return to power, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government has recalibrated its smear campaigns against independent journalists. Once accused of being CIA operatives or U.S. agents, journalists are now facing allegations of collaborating with Ukraine.

A few weeks ago, just before the release of Direkt36’s investigative documentary The Dynasty—which examined the Orbán family’s wealth—the Hungarian government’s propaganda apparatus falsely accused the nonprofit investigative outlet of being paid by Ukrainian intelligence and even participating in a Ukrainian plot to discredit Orbán. The accusations quickly expanded, with independent media more broadly being labeled as secret recipients of Ukrainian funding.

The supposed basis for these allegations was a closed-door briefing of Hungary’s national security committee on February 4, where MPs were informed of a Ukrainian intelligence operation targeting Orbán. After the meeting, ruling Fidesz party faction leader and committee member Máté Kocsis posted the following accusations on Facebook:

“At the National Security Committee’s meeting today, we received information from the intelligence services regarding the fact that, according to the information they have obtained, the Ukrainian state is launching a smear campaign against the Hungarian Prime Minister, the stated goal of which is to undermine the Prime Minister’s international reputation and weaken Hungary’s ability to assert its interests.

The current operation’s goal is, with the help of the press, through the use of Hungarian and foreign journalists, to publish articles and materials, even containing false information, that are suitable for negatively influencing international public opinion.

For the distribution of this, the Ukrainians have allocated a significant amount of money. The work, the collection of information, and the fabrication of false news from the Ukrainian side has already begun, and certain members of the Hungarian press have also been involved in it.

A part of the press, which calls itself independent, is now willing to betray the country for Ukrainian money as well.”

Subsequently, the Orbán government’s propaganda mouthpiece Magyar Nemzet reported — without proper sourcing — that Direkt36’s then-upcoming documentary, which was released on February 7, was part of this Ukrainian smear campaign against Orbán. Direkt36 immediately refuted the accusation, calling it a “blatant lie.”

Independent news site Telex.hu later reported — and the parliamentary committee’s chairman confirmed — that neither Direkt36 nor its documentary were mentioned at all in the hearing. The accusations, therefore, were entirely fabricated to undermine the credibility of The Dynasty’s findings. However, the deception and propaganda runs even deeper.

No Evidence of Hungarian Media Involvement

Multiple sources familiar with the intelligence presented at the February 4 briefing confirmed to VSquare that not a single Hungarian media outlet, journalist, or individual was named in the report. In other words, the entire smear campaign against Hungarian media is a fabrication.

Hungary’s foreign intelligence agency, the Information Office (IH), had only gathered information on Ukraine’s intent to launch a media campaign against Orbán. However, no Hungarian involvement or financial ties were identified. Sources suggested that if any foreign media were involved, they were not Hungarian. One source also noted that even the intelligence on Ukraine’s intent was vague and lacked key concrete details.

A second source with knowledge of the briefing’s details said that IH had gathered intelligence on Ukrainian officials assigning tasks for publishing media content to denigrate Orbán and suggesting that investigative journalists should be commissioned for the project. However, no specific journalist, media outlet, or nationality was mentioned, or later identified. There was absolutely no information indicating any involvement of Hungarian media.

Despite this, Orbán’s propaganda machine inflated the claim into a full-fledged conspiracy, falsely accusing Direkt36—a VSquare partner and one of Hungary’s leading investigative outlets—of working for Ukrainian intelligence.

Backlash in Hungary’s Intelligence Community

The weaponization of the intelligence report has sparked concern within Hungary’s national security and intelligence community. When government officials publicly disclosed that Hungarian intelligence had detected a supposed Ukrainian plot, they risked exposing IH’s sources and operations in Ukraine, potentially endangering lives.

According to a source familiar with the briefing at the Hungarian Parliament’s National Security Committee, IH opposed making any information about their findings public.

Furthermore, manipulating an intelligence report for a political smear campaign threatens Hungary’s credibility among its international intelligence partners. Intelligence officers, bound by protocol and unable to correct politically driven distortions of their findings, now face a situation where a legitimate but vague intelligence report has been twisted into an attack on independent media.

The Hungarian government did not respond to VSquare’s request for comment.

Szabolcs Panyi

VSquare’s Budapest-based lead investigative editor in charge of Central European investigations, Szabolcs Panyi is also a Hungarian investigative journalist at Direkt36. He covers national security, foreign policy, and Russian and Chinese influence. He was a European Press Prize finalist in 2018 and 2021.