The goal of the Russian team of political technologists, led by Sergei Kiriyenko, Vladimir Putin's first deputy chief of staff, will be to keep Prime Minister Viktor Orban in power, Panyi wrote.
What elections will be held in Hungary?
Who heads the Russian team supporting Orban?
What tactics will the Kremlin team use in Hungary?
How many deputies will Hungarians elect in the parliamentary elections?
The Hungarian journalist noted that the team would most likely use similar tactics in Hungary to the ones they used in Moldova. In this country, the Russians created a vote-buying mechanism, troll farms and a network of agents who were supposed to persuade people to vote against the pro-European president Maia Sandu, Panyi recalled.
Journalist reveals the Kremlin's plan. “Three-person team at the embassy”
“The plan is to place Russian experts on manipulation in social networking sites at the Russian embassy in Budapest, equipped with diplomatic or service passports. My sources say that the project involves a three-person team operating in the embassy on behalf of the GRU, the Russian military intelligence. It is not clear whether it is already active,” the journalist added.
“Information about the Kremlin's attempts to support Orban's campaign was shared with partners based on conversations with national security sources from three different European countries. Many EU and NATO agencies probably already know about it and are monitoring the situation,” Panyi said.
Parliamentary elections in Hungary will be held on April 12. Hungarians will elect 199 deputies to the unicameral National Assembly (Orszaggyules), of whom 106 will be elected in single-member districts, and the remaining 93 will be elected from nationwide party lists. The term of office of parliamentarians is four years.
