Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has convened an emergency session of the National Defence Council after explosives were discovered near a pipeline transporting Russian gas to Hungary, AzerNEWS reports, citing foreign media.

The explosives were found in a border area of neighbouring Serbia, amid a tense political climate as Orban’s party lags in opinion polls ahead of critical elections next Sunday.

Opposition leader Peter Magyar accused Orban of “panic-mongering” orchestrated with the help of “Russian advisers,” following warnings from security experts about a potential “false flag” operation that could be blamed on Ukraine.

Orban, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly resisted European Union calls to cut Russian energy imports since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

In recent weeks, Hungarian security analysts suggested the incident could be staged—either in Hungary or Serbia—to generate sympathy for Orban, bolster his Fidesz party’s electoral chances, or provide a pretext to declare a state of emergency and postpone or cancel the vote.

Serbian President Alexander Vucic, a close ally of Orban, informed the Hungarian leader of the discovery on Sunday morning. Serbian army units found two rucksacks containing explosives and detonators near the village of Tresnjevac in the Kanjiza district, roughly 20 km (12 miles) from where the TurkStream pipeline enters Hungary.

“Our units found an explosive of devastating power,” Vucic wrote on Instagram. “I informed PM Orban and we will keep him updated on the investigation.”

The incident raises urgent questions about pipeline security in Central Europe and highlights the intertwining of energy, politics, and geopolitical tensions in the region.