Ukraine says a spy network run by the Hungarian state has discovered it to get information about defenses near the shared border.
Ukrainian security services said they have detained two Hungarian spies who were accused of collecting intelligence.
“For the first time in Ukrainian history, security services have exposed Hungarian military intelligence networks that are espionage at the disadvantages of our nation,” SBU said.
Hungary is a member of the European Union and NATO, both of which are ally of Ukrainian companies, but President Victor Orban has repeatedly sided with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. The Hungarian government has not responded to this claim.
According to SBU, the SPY network suspicions were established by Hungary military intelligence with the aim of collecting data on air defense systems, the location of law enforcement officers and their vehicles, and the location of law enforcement officers and their vehicles.
Zakarpathia is the western region of Ukraine, which shares an 84-mile (137km) border with Hungary.
According to the SBU, the spies were also gathering information about national sentiment among local residents to predict their reaction in the event of a Hungarian invasion.
The SBU gave no indication that the alleged conspiracy was helping Russia.
The detained women and men, known as “traitors” by the SBU, are former members of the Ukrainian army and are said to have been overseen by the Hungarian intelligence officer.
The SBU said the male suspect crossed the border and reported to his controller to Hungary, receiving money and communications equipment in return. The SBU did not elaborate on how the alleged network was discovered.
The suspicious spies were detained at their home, reported by Ukrainian News Agency Interfax, and calls and other evidence were seized during the search indicating that they were spies.
Detainees are suspected of treason and face life imprisonment.
Hungary and Ukraine relations have been strained since the full-scale Russian invasion began more than three years ago.
Orban has attempted to block the EU aid package to Ukraine, opposed sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas, and has announced that it will join the EU with opposition to Ukraine.
Hungary has been a member of NATO, a transatlantic alliance since 1999. However, since Orban came to power as an authoritarian leader, its policies often opposed to Western status.
The Orban government is a small number in Europe, which maintains close ties with Russia after the invasion.
These arrest and alleged spy networks have been adopted in isolation and represent relatively minor events.
Ukraine’s short border with Hungary is far from the frontline, which has little effect on ongoing fighting in the southeast and northeast of the country, where Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
However, Russia, which uses missiles and drones to target all parts of Ukraine at intermittent intervals, wants to know where the military assets are.
Former British Secretary of Defense Sir Ben Wallace told BBC Radio 4’s today’s programme that this is not the first time Ukraine has denounced Hungary for destructive activities on its territory.
However, he added that the delicate military nature of the target this time made it much more serious.
Wallace raised the question of becoming the ultimate recipient of this information gathered from the Ukrainian border.
“What Putin fears most is NATO values,” he said. “And if these values are threatened or compromised, there needs to be a serious discussion within NATO about members who behave that way.”
The SBU announcement is the same day that Robert Fiko, the prime minister of another NATO nation, is attending Vladimir Putin’s showcase victory parade in Moscow to commemorate the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
This latest news is not welcome as the rest of NATO strives to maintain unity in the face of continued Russian invasion.
According to the last official census filmed in 2001, around 150,000 Hungarians live in Ukraine’s Zakarpathian region.
Ukraine and Hungary have previously clashed over the rights of this community to use Orban’s efforts to promote their native language and Hungarian identity.
Wallace said that when he was the Secretary of Defense, another plot was revealed by Ukraine that “Hungarians were handing out passports to ethnic Hungarians in the pockets of the land,” prompting Kiev to expel many diplomats.
