Media: Hungary quietly expels Russian spy who infiltrated institutions close to Orbán

Hungary has quietly expelled a Russian intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover who had infiltrated right-wing and foreign policy think tanks close to the government of Viktor Orbán.

As reported by VSquare, Artur Sushkov, a 36-year-old third secretary at the Russian embassy in Budapest, was forced to leave the country together with his wife on 4 May 2026.

Hungarian authorities identified Sushkov as an undercover agent of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service.

The expulsion took place several months later than Hungary's own counterintelligence service had wanted.

According to a government source, Orbán's government blocked an earlier proposal to send Sushkov home in February 2026. The delay was caused by political considerations, as Russia was actively supporting Orbán's re-election efforts and his government did not want to risk damaging relations with Moscow during the election campaign.

However, everything changed after Orbán lost the parliamentary elections on 12 April, and the Russian spy was expelled.

The counterintelligence operation against Sushkov was carried out by Hungary's Constitution Protection Office in cooperation with the intelligence service of an unnamed NATO country.

Sushkov focused on infiltrating institutions such as the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA) and the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics at Ludovika University of Public Service, where Hungarian military personnel, law enforcement officers and intelligence officers are trained.

He recruited informants, organised closed-door meetings and sought political information, including on Hungary's relations with Ukraine.

According to a Hungarian source familiar with the diplomat's activities, Sushkov successfully initiated recruitment efforts involving at least three individuals.

However, officials from several NATO countries said that even after Sushkov's expulsion, at least a dozen identified or suspected Russian Foreign Intelligence Service officers operating under diplomatic cover remain at the Russian embassy in Budapest.

Earlier, it emerged that Hungarian police had launched an investigation into companies linked to one of the country's best-known media magnates, Gyula Balásy, who received major state contracts for many years during Orbán's rule.

Meanwhile, Orbán announced that he is giving up his parliamentary mandate but is willing to continue leading his party, Fidesz.