Hungary expelled Russian intelligence officer Artur Sushkov who infiltrated right-wing think tanks close to the Orbán government and ran espionage operations until after Orbán’s electoral defeat removed political obstacles.

Artur Sushkov, a Russian SVR intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover as a third secretary at the Russian Embassy in Budapest, was expelled from Hungary on May 4, 2026, after years of infiltrating Hungary's right-wing political elite's think tanks and academic institutions. His espionage activities targeted institutions closely linked to the Orbán government, including the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, and the John Lukacs Institute. He recruited Hungarian assets for clandestine communication, gathered political and foreign policy intelligence including details on Hungary’s relationship with Ukraine and the Paks 2 nuclear project, and even sought access to network credentials. The expulsion was delayed for months due to political considerations during Orbán’s reelection campaign, which Russia supported. After Orbán's defeat and the lifting of political constraints on counterintelligence, Hungarian authorities, cooperating with a NATO partner agency, proceeded with the expulsion. Sushkov’s wife, also linked to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Academy, was expelled alongside him. Despite this action, at least a dozen suspected SVR intelligence officers remain under diplomatic cover in Budapest. This case exemplifies Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy of espionage against EU countries, facilitated by the previous Hungarian government’s political shielding of operatives.