Ukraine Finds Hungarian Spies 05/09 07:05

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukraine's main security agency said Friday it had 
arrested two people on suspicion of spying for Hungary by gathering 
intelligence on Ukraine's military in the west of the country.

   In a statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that two 
suspects, both former members of the Ukrainian military, had been detained and 
face charges of treason, which is punishable by life imprisonment. It was the 
first time in Ukraine's history that a Hungarian espionage operation had been 
discovered, the statement said.

   The activities of the suspected spies were focused on the western Ukraine 
region of Zakarpattia, which borders Hungary and is home to a sizeable 
Hungarian ethnic minority. Budapest and Kyiv have clashed over the rights of 
Hungarians in Zakarpattia, most of which was part of Hungary until the end of 
World War I.

   Hungarian Foreign Minister Pter Szijjrt did not directly deny the 
allegations of a Hungarian espionage cell operating in Ukraine, but suggested 
that the SBU's claims could be classified as "anti-Hungarian propaganda."

   "I urge everyone to exercise caution against any news that appears in 
Ukrainian propaganda," Szijjrt told a news conference on Friday. "If we get any 
details or official information, then we can deal with it."

   Hungary, a member of NATO and the European Union, has taken an adversarial 
approach to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, refusing to 
supply Kyiv with weaponry or to allow its transfer across Hungarian territory.

   The Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbn, has also 
threatened to bloc EU financial assistance to Ukraine, argued against sanctions 
on Russia and opposed Ukraine's eventual membership in the EU.

   Orbn is widely seen as having the warmest relations with Russian President 
Vladimir Putin among EU leaders, though he has acknowledged that the war was a 
result of Russian aggression.

   The SBU said both suspected spies were overseen by a career officer of 
Hungary's military intelligence, whose identity had also been established. That 
officer supplied the network with cash and a special device for covert 
communication to support the operation, and had attempted to recruit other 
individuals into the network, the SBU said.

   The Hungarian Defense Ministry and Military National Security Service did 
not immediately respond to requests for comment.