Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats for activities incompatible with their status, and said the step does not mean breaking off relations with Russia. Maria Zakharova said Moscow would answer in a harsh and painful way. Viktor Orban lost office in April 2026 after 16 years.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced the expulsion, saying the 10 had carried out activities incompatible with their diplomatic status. She added that the step does not mean breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia. She wrote that the decision protects Hungary's security and sovereignty, and that the diplomats have been ordered to leave Budapest.[1], [2]
Al Jazeera reported that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would answer in a harsh and painful way. The BBC wrote that the foreign ministry spokeswoman in Moscow said the response to the Russophobic lobby will be harsh and painful. Russia's Ambassador to Budapest, Evgeny Stanislavov, told the BBC that Budapest's promise of pragmatic co-operation was worth absolutely nothing and called the step an unprecedented and ungrounded escalation.[1], [2]
Al Jazeera wrote that Hungary was one of the few EU members that kept close ties with Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and that unlike most other member states it had not expelled Russian diplomats before. Viktor Orban, who lost power in April 2026 after 16 years in office, had built that relationship. The BBC reported that since his election defeat in April the new government has pivoted away from his pro-Kremlin stance, and that Prime Minister Péter Magyar promised pragmatic relations with Moscow when his Tisza party was elected. The BBC also reported that ahead of the April elections Agentsvo wrote that 15 of the 47 Russian embassy staff in Budapest were linked to Russian intelligence agencies.[1], [2]
