Two days after the elections, the Hungarian Armed Forces began withdrawing soldiers from critical facilities they were supposed to protect due to the alleged threat of an attack from Ukraine, the Hungarian portal 444 reported, citing a statement from the Hungarian Ministry of Defense.
Soldiers remained only in the vicinity of a few facilities because the companies operating them are reviewing and revising their own security measures and procedures, it added. The portal recalled that the army sent 600 soldiers to protect 75 strategic points.
In February, Prime Minister Orban announced the strengthening of protection of critical infrastructure and the deployment of troops around it, as well as the introduction of a ban on the use of drones in the Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg county bordering Ukraine. He also claimed that “Ukraine is preparing to take further actions aimed at disrupting the functioning of the Hungarian energy system.”
In the background, the non-operating Druzhba pipeline
The decision was a response to the suspension of the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline through Ukraine. The pipeline was damaged by the Russian attack and is still being repaired. However, Budapest accused Kiev of deliberately suspending deliveries.
In April, a week before the parliamentary elections, Orban announced that he would also send the army to protect the TurkStream gas pipeline, which carries Russian natural gas to the country. Earlier on the same day, Serbian authorities reported finding explosives near the gas pipeline on the Serbian side.
