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Explosives Threat Near Serbia Pipeline Fuels False-Flag Fears Ahead of Hungary Vote
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Hungarian journalist Szabolcs Panyi warned that an alleged explosives threat near the gas pipeline linking Serbia and Hungary could be part of a false-flag operation that might be used to disrupt Hungary’s election campaign.
The statement was posted on X on August 5.
Panyi wrote that Hungarian Russia expert András Rácz had raised the possibility three days earlier of a Russia-backed operation in Serbia targeting the pipeline to Hungary.
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Panyi wrote that it remained unclear what steps the government could take using the alleged incident as a pretext, but warned that the implications could be severe.
“If the second part of the information we received also proves true, Orbán could declare a state of emergency,” he wrote, adding that such a move could significantly affect the campaign and potentially disrupt the April 12 election.
He added that similar information had reached several journalists weeks earlier from sources in Hungarian government circles.
The warning followed an announcement by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who stated that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had informed him about “explosives of devastating power” found at the pipeline connecting the two countries.
Panyi noted that Orbán and pro-government media were already amplifying the claim, while the Hungarian leader convened his security cabinet.
He also argued that the political climate in Hungary could make the claim especially volatile. According to Panyi, the opposition Tisza Party has opened a lead, while Orbán has spent months accusing the party of acting as “Ukrainian agents.”
Panyi wrote that government propaganda could quickly try to tie the alleged Serbian operation to both Ukraine and Tisza.
Panyi urged foreign reporters covering the election to closely scrutinize the narrative and avoid repeating government messaging without verification. “The situation could soon be very serious,” he wrote.
The concerns were heightened by subsequent on-the-ground moves, as Serbian police and military sealed off roads near Kanjiža in northern Vojvodina after explosives were reportedly found close to the Balkan Stream gas pipeline near the Hungarian border.
Regional reports described helicopters overhead, blocked access, and a full security cordon around nearby villages as authorities searched the area on Sunday morning.
President Aleksandar Vučić later stated that officers found two backpacks, two large packages of explosives, and detonating cord near Velebit, only a few hundred meters from the pipeline. He added that he had informed Viktor Orbán because an explosion could have cut gas supplies to Hungary and northern Serbia.
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