Russian espionage has proposed “staging an assassination attempt” to help Viktor Orban in the Hungarian election. The Gamechanger Strategy

Officers of Russia's foreign intelligence service, SVR, proposed a way to “fundamentally change the entire paradigm of the election campaign” in Hungary by “staging an assassination attempt on Viktor Orban” in the context of the April 12 parliamentary elections, according to an internal SVR report obtained and authenticated by a European intelligence service and analyzed by The Washington Post.

The proposed strategy to support Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the run-up to the Hungarian elections was called “the Gamechanger”. According to Reuters, Orban and his party, Fidesz, are in most polls behind Peter Magyar, a former government ally who has since become the main opponent, and his party, Tisza.

“Such an incident will change the perception of the campaign from the rational domain of socio-economic issues to an emotional one, where the key themes will become state security and stability, and the defense of the political system,” the officers wrote in a report prepared for the SVR's main unit for political influence operations, the MoD Directorate, or Active Measures Department.

SVR: Most citizens “are dissatisfied” with the situation in Hungary

There have been no physical attacks on Viktor Orban, but the mere suggestion of staging an assassination attempt shows how high the stakes are for Moscow in Hungary's election, where the prime minister's popularity, facing economic problems, an energy price shock and a rival seen as a viable alternative, is on the decline.

“The majority (52.3%) is dissatisfied with the state of affairs in the country,” the Russian officers wrote. “Dissatisfaction prevails not only in cities, but also in rural areas (50.8%), where, traditionally, the position of the ruling Fidesz party is strong,” the SVR report also mentions.

Russia is not the only foreign power that could try to support Viktor Orban in one of the most difficult electoral races of his political career. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Budapest in February and publicly expressed his support for Hungary's current prime minister. On Friday, Hungary's foreign minister said that US Vice President JD Vance was also due to visit the country.

Unlike the US, Russia's intervention could be more direct. Some Western officials say Moscow is determined to help Viktor Orban stay in power as the Hungarian prime minister has obstructed key EU policies and acted as a bridge between the Kremlin and US conservatives in hopes of creating a new post-liberal world order.

It is unclear at what level in the Russian government the SVR report reached. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined The Post's questions about the document. “This is yet another example of disinformation,” the Russian official replied.

SVR declined to comment.

Viktor Orban's spokesman, Zoltan Kovacs, did not respond to a request for comment on the SVR report, Russia's alleged meddling in Hungary's election or the relationship between the Hungarian leader and Moscow.