Official: Hungary expels Ukrainian citizen on espionage charges video

Spokesman for the Hungarian government Zoltan Kovacs has announced that a Ukrainian citizen was detained and expelled from Hungary on charges of espionage.

“Yesterday evening [May 10], Hungarian counterterrorism forces (TEK) detained a Ukrainian national in downtown Budapest,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Kovacs’ message on X.

‼️Yesterday evening, Hungarian counterterrorism forces (TEK) detained a Ukrainian national in downtown Budapest. The man was subject to an entry and residence ban by the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing due to espionage.

The middle-aged individual had previously… pic.twitter.com/NmRIud2lbD

— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) May 10, 2025

“The man was subject to an entry and residence ban by the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing due to espionage. The middle-aged individual had previously operated under diplomatic cover, but no longer holds official status. Following clarification of the situation, authorities expelled him from Hungary the same night. His actions were deemed a serious threat to Hungary’s sovereignty, prompting swift and decisive measures by national security services,” he wrote.  

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has denounced the recent detention of a Ukrainian national in Budapest on espionage charges as a "witch hunt".

By Naila Huseynova