Hungary orders 10 Russian diplomats to leave Budapest

Hungary's Foreign Minister Anita Orbán ordered 10 Russian diplomats to leave Budapest for taking part in "unacceptable" activities, per BBC News reporting on September 8, 2026. According to the BBC, Orbán stated the decision "protects Hungary's security and sovereignty" and "does not imply breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia."

The expulsion marks a sharp reversal from Hungary's previous stance toward Moscow. Per BBC News, Hungary was viewed as Russia's closest ally in the European Union under Viktor Orbán for years before his election defeat in April 2026. Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party was elected and promised "pragmatic" relations with Moscow, according to the BBC. That commitment has since shifted. Last month, according to BBC News, Prime Minister Magyar formally broke with the previous Fidesz government's policies, with new guidelines stating that Russia's conduct in Ukraine "poses a threat to Hungary, Europe and the global order, and also puts the Hungarian minority living in Transcarpathia in serious danger."

In May, the BBC reports, Anita Orbán summoned the Russian ambassador to protest a large drone attack on the Transcarpathia region of Ukraine, which is home to a large Hungarian minority. Commentators noted that Orbán's predecessor had not summoned the Russian ambassador since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022, per the BBC.

Before Magyar was voted into office, according to BBC News, Hungary had for years insisted on maintaining close relations with Moscow, partly citing cheap Russian oil imports. Viktor Orbán objected to the EU's supply of aid to Ukraine and repeatedly delayed packages of sanctions on Russia.

Russia responded with warnings of retaliation. Per Al Jazeera, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova promised a "harsh and painful" response to the expulsion of diplomats. According to BBC News, Russia's Ambassador to Budapest Evgeny Stanislavov called the expulsion decision "an unprecedented and ungrounded escalation" and complained that Hungary's promises of "pragmatic co-operation" were "worth absolutely nothing."

The dispute centers on allegations of Russian espionage activity in Budapest. Per BBC News, independent Russian investigative website Agenstvo reported that 15 of the 47 Russian embassy staff in Budapest were linked to Russian intelligence agencies and six more might be linked. According to the BBC, former Hungarian foreign intelligence deputy head András Telkes told the outlet that even though "Russian spying activity" had been investigated before the April election, the Fidesz government had prevented any action being taken. The Russian embassy in Budapest rejected as false a report alleging that three Russian military intelligence officers had travelled to Budapest to influence the Hungarian vote, per BBC News.

Andás Telkes warned that if 10 Hungarian diplomats were expelled from Moscow in a tit-for-tat move, that would effectively close the Hungarian embassy there, according to BBC News.

Broadly, hundreds of Russian diplomats have been expelled across Europe since 2022, and Russia has responded in kind, per BBC News. However, many EU member states expelled Russian diplomats following Moscow's all-out war on Ukraine, but Hungary was not one of them until now, according to Al Jazeera.

EU spokesman Christian Wigand said Hungary took a "legitimate decision" and that the EU "will continue to closely coordinate" the situation, per Al Jazeera reporting.