Hungary reports exposure of “two more Ukrainian spies”

This was stated by Zoltan Kovacs, Hungary’s State Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Relations.

"Roland Tseber, an illegal operative of Ukrainian intelligence, was building ties with opposition figures; István Holló is under criminal investigation for espionage," he wrote.

According to Kovacs, Tseber organized meetings with political and military figures in an attempt to influence Budapest's position on “the conflict in Ukraine.”

“His (Tseber’s) growing influence led to a travel ban in 2024. Mr. Holló, a full-blooded Ukrainian by origin, was seeking military and energy information related to Ukraine’s wartime needs,” the State Secretary added.

Kovacs also claimed that this situation “fits the pattern of a classic influence operation aimed at discrediting Hungary on the international stage and pressuring the government to change its policy toward Ukraine.”

Background on the espionage scandals involving Hungary

On Friday, May 9, 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced it had uncovered a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia region — the first such exposure in Ukraine’s history. In addition to gathering strictly military classified information, the individuals involved were allegedly tasked from abroad with monitoring public sentiment in the region amid fears of a potential Hungarian military incursion.

That same day, Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi District Court ordered pre-trial detention for two individuals suspected of spying for Hungary — one of whom is a former military officer.

Also on May 9, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced the expulsion of two Hungarian diplomats in response to Hungary’s activities in Zakarpattia. They were given 48 hours to leave Ukraine.

In turn, Hungary expelled two Ukrainians — “spies working under diplomatic cover at the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest.” One of them, a businessman no longer employed by the embassy, was detained on a public street by Hungarian special forces. Hungary officially confirmed his deportation only on Saturday, May 10.

On May 10, a special unit of Hungary’s Counter Terrorism Centre stopped a car carrying a Ukrainian citizen in downtown Budapest, forced him onto the pavement face-down, and handcuffed him.

Later, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that NATO must respond to what he described as a Ukrainian government-sponsored defamation campaign against Budapest.