Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ordered troops and police deployed to the country’s critical energy infrastructure on Wednesday, citing intelligence warnings that Ukraine plans further moves to disrupt Hungary’s energy supply.
Orbán made the announcement in a Facebook video following an emergency meeting of the Defence Council. “We will not give in to blackmail,” he said. “I have ordered the reinforcement of the protection of critical energy infrastructure.”
The move escalates a standoff between Budapest and Kyiv over the Druzhba pipeline, which has not delivered Russian crude oil to Hungary since January 27. Orbán’s government attributes the halt to deliberate political pressure from Ukraine — a claim Kyiv disputes. Euronews reported that Orbán made no mention of assessments indicating Russian air strikes caused the initial pipeline damage.
“I have listened to the reports of the national security services. I see that Ukraine is preparing further actions to disrupt the functioning of the Hungarian energy system,” Orbán said.
Under the deployment order, soldiers and military equipment will move to key energy sites across the country. Police will step up patrols at power plants, fuel distribution hubs, and grid control facilities. Orbán also imposed a drone flight ban over Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, which borders Ukraine.
The announcement deepens Hungary’s isolation within the European Union. Budapest recently blocked the bloc’s 20th sanctions package against Russia and vetoed a €90 billion emergency loan to Ukraine, drawing a formal rebuke from EU leadership.
Read: EU Parliament Signs €90 Billion Ukraine Loan as Hungary Holds Out
The European Commission has since proposed an alternative oil supply route through Croatia as a workaround for Hungary and Slovakia.
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