Ukraine's Foreign Ministry rejects attempts to link Ukraine to explosives found near a gas pipeline in Serbia that carries Russian gas to Hungary.
- Ukraine has nothing to do with it, writes a spokesman for the ministry, Heorhij Tykhyj, on X.
He adds that it is likely a so-called false flag operation, part of Russia's interference in the upcoming elections in Hungary. False flag is a term used for an operation in which an enemy stages an incident to place the blame on another party.
Earlier on Sunday, Hungary and Serbia announced that powerful explosives had been found near a section of the pipeline connected to the TurkStream system. It carries Russian gas to Turkey and from there to Central Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said earlier Sunday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had told him in a phone call about the discovery of the explosives, which were allegedly found outside the Serbian town of Kanjiza near the Hungarian border. Orbán and Vucic are close allies.
Hungary is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 12, and opinion polls suggest that Orbán is set to lose power after 16 years as Hungary's prime minister.
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar casts doubt on the statements made by Orbán and Vucic. He believes they appear to be aimed at boosting Orbán's chances of re-election.
- Several people have publicly suggested that something "accidentally" will happen to the gas pipeline in Serbia at Easter, a week before the Hungarian election. And then it happened, Magyar wrote in a statement, according to the Reuters news agency.
A former Hungarian intelligence officer told Reuters that there had been discussions in Hungarian security circles in recent days about whether there would be a false flag operation regarding the pipeline in Serbia. If so, it would be an attempt to influence the elections in Hungary.
Orbán had called an emergency meeting of the government's defense council on Sunday.
- According to our information, an act of sabotage was being prepared, he said after the meeting.
- Ukraine has been trying to cut off Europe from Russian energy for years.
During the election campaign, Orbán and his ruling party, Fidesz, have warned against continued support for Ukraine. The party has campaigned on the claim that Hungarian soldiers would be sent to Ukraine to fight Russian forces if the opposition wins the war.
Orbán is considered the EU leader closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia expressed support for Hungary on Sunday and blamed Ukraine for the alleged sabotage attempt.
- Ukraine wants to deprive Hungary of its sovereignty, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Tass news agency.
Russia has previously denied that it is interfering in the Hungarian election campaign.
/ritzau/Reuters
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