Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has convened an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council after explosives were found near a pipeline that transports Russian gas to Hungary.
The discovery in a border area of neighbouring Serbia comes as Orban's party is falling behind in opinion polls just days ahead of crucial elections on Sunday.
Opposition leader Peter Magyar accused Orban of panic-mongering orchestrated by Russian advisers, after security experts warned of a possible false flag operation that could be blamed on Ukraine.
Orban, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has resisted EU calls to abandon Russian energy imports since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Hungarian security experts have raised the possibility of a staged operation, either on Hungarian or Serbian territory, that could arouse sympathy for Orban's Fidesz party or allow him to declare an emergency and postpone the vote.
Serbian President Alexander Vucic informed Orban about the discovery early Sunday morning. Two rucksacks containing explosives and detonators were found by the Serbian army near Tresnjevac village, approximately 20 km from the TurkStream pipeline crossing into Hungary.
Our units found an explosive of devastating power, Vucic said on Instagram. I told PM Orban that we would keep him updated on the investigation. Hungary receives between five and eight billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually through this pipeline.
Balint Pasztor, president of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association, another ally of Orban, stated that if the investigation shows Hungary's supply lines were the target, it supports the view that the attack was meant to undermine Orban.
Fidesz has focused on hostility toward Ukraine in its electoral campaign. At rallies, Orban claimed that Hungary's reasonable energy prices are due to affordable Russian oil and gas, both of which enter Hungary through pipelines.
Orban has accused a Kyiv-Brussels-Berlin axis of conspiring to cut off Hungary from cheap Russian fuel and aims to impose their puppet prime minister ahead of the election. He contends that a Tisza government would embroil Hungary in a European conflict against Russia.
Moreover, Orban alleges that Ukraine has hindered oil supply through the Druzhba pipeline, which has not transported any Russian oil since January due to damage purportedly from a Russian attack.
Evidence concerning Ukrainian involvement in the incident remains unproven. However, Ukrainian officials pre-emptively denied any connection, hinting instead at a likely Russian-sponsored operation as part of interference in Hungary's elections.
Amidst the chaos, Hungarian citizens face a critical choice in the elections, with the potential for the newfound urgency to heavily influence public sentiment towards Orban.
