- Category
- Latest news
Hungary Removes Russian Diplomat Over Alleged Years-Long Intelligence Collection
- Authors
![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
Hungary has expelled a Russian diplomat identified by Hungarian authorities as an undercover SVR officer who allegedly spent years cultivating contacts in think tanks tied to Viktor Orbán’s government, VSquare reported on May 8.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Artur Sushkov, a 36-year-old third secretary at the Russian Embassy in Budapest, was forced to leave the country with his wife on May 4. Hungarian authorities identified him as an undercover officer of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR.
Sushkov targeted institutions overseen by Balázs Orbán, the prime minister's political director and failed reelection campaign chief, including the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA), and the John Lukacs Institute at Ludovika University of Public Service.
Hungarian sources reported that he successfully initiated the recruitment of at least three individuals, cultivating one researcher with expensive gifts and offers of cash for information.
His intelligence collection ranged from gossip about Hungarian officials to updates on the Paks 2 nuclear power plant and the Wi-Fi password for HIIA's internal network.
Péter Buda, a former Hungarian counterintelligence officer, pointed to a pattern of the Orbán government opposing or delaying the expulsion of Russian operatives under diplomatic cover.
"Based on this particular case, it is clear that the political leadership did not allow the intelligence services to carry out their duties properly," Buda told VSquare. He added that "a country where there is no need to fear any significant consequences presents an attractive venue for hostile intelligence operations."
Hungarian counterintelligence first proposed expelling Sushkov in February 2026, but the Orbán government blocked the move during a campaign in which Moscow actively backed his reelection.
The dynamic shifted after Orbán's defeat on April 12, 2026, which allowed agencies operating under tight political constraints to act. Balázs Orbán resigned from chairing the oversight body of Ludovika University in May 2026 following the electoral loss.
Sushkov was first posted to Hungary in 2019 and returned in February 2023 after a brief break, accompanied by his wife Svetlana, who was officially employed at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy.
The couple was given two weeks to depart and was quietly expelled for violating the Vienna Convention, the standard euphemism for espionage. The Hungarian government and the Russian Embassy did not reply to requests for comment.
Hungarian government sources noted that at least a dozen identified or suspected SVR officers remain under diplomatic cover at the Russian Embassy in Budapest, not counting personnel from the GRU and FSB. Earlier reports documented a broader intelligence footprint at Russia's embassy in Budapest, where Agentstvo identified at least 15 accredited staff with links to Russian intelligence services.
The investigation also noted six additional embassy personnel with possible ties to intelligence structures, based on records including specialized security education and Moscow registrations tied to government-linked properties.
Among the cases cited were First Counselor Vyacheslav Shmidt and Alexei Shaposhnikov, whose reported backgrounds pointed to military intelligence and Federal Security Service-linked networks.
Shmidt was reportedly linked to Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate, while Shaposhnikov's data showed a registration associated with an FSB dormitory in Moscow.
The investigation framed the Budapest mission as one of several Russian diplomatic posts in Europe where accredited personnel may also serve intelligence roles.
Discuss this article:
-e99e7a3d5a4f6128bcd598e76c2f1974.png "A Russian Iranian-designed Shahed drone spotted flying above a town of Călărași in central Moldova. (Source: open source)")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
