Commentary
Politics
Unlocked
This Polish-German Border Community Still Believes In The European Miracle – LONG READ
3 October 2025
As Hungary gears up for the 2026 elections, Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party is doubling down on anti-Ukraine rhetoric, painting Kyiv as a threat to national sovereignty and economic stability. By demonising Ukraine and linking rival Péter Magyar to foreign plots, Orbán’s propaganda machine serves Moscow’s interests while deepening Hungary’s isolation in the EU.
Over the past decade, Hungary’s political communication has undergone a profound shift. Once sceptical of Moscow, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his allies now cultivate a ‘special relationship’ with the Kremlin.
What began as an ambiguous repositioning has hardened into a consistent narrative that openly undermines Ukraine and, by extension, Western unity.
From Russia-sceptic to Putin-friendly
Orbán’s changing stance on Russia has puzzled analysts. From an ideological and strategic perspective, it is both cynical and self-defeating.
Most Hungarians have not reaped economic benefits from closer ties with Moscow, yet the political elite has embraced pro-Russian messaging. Figures once critical of Putin now praise him as a strong leader and guardian of Christian and family values.
This transformation has corroded Hungary’s reputation within NATO and the EU while aligning its domestic discourse ever more closely with Russian interests.
Ukraine as the new ‘enemy’
Until not long ago, Fidesz campaigns for years revolved around George Soros, migrants, ‘Brussels’ or ‘gender ideology.’ The war changed that.
Since 2022, for the first time, a foreign state – Ukraine – has become the central enemy in Hungarian political communication. Billboards featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyy have portrayed him as both a puppet of Brussels and an ally of opposition leader Péter Magyar.
In the run-up to the April 2022 elections, Fidesz exploited the war by claiming the opposition wanted to send Hungarian soldiers to the front.
Orbán positioned himself as the sole protector of national peace, and in his victory speech, added Zelenskyy to the list of ‘defeated opponents.’
By 2024, as European and local elections approached, the rhetoric escalated into a matter of life and death: only Fidesz could shield Hungarians from a war that ‘had nothing to do with them.’
Blaming Ukraine for everything
By 2025, the narrative expanded further. Ukraine was not just dragging Hungary into conflict; it was allegedly responsible for inflation, economic stagnation and threats to sovereignty. Government outlets warned that Ukrainian EU accession would destroy Hungarian agriculture, jeopardise pensions, and flood Europe with crime. In one grotesque performance, a Fidesz politician locked a colleague in a car boot to ‘illustrate’ Ukrainian human trafficking.
At the same time, Budapest accused Kyiv of endangering Hungary’s energy security by striking the Druzhba oil pipeline – conveniently omitting that Ukraine was targeting one of Russia’s key revenue sources. The propaganda line was clear: Ukraine is corrupt, dangerous, and hostile to Hungarian interests.
Serving Moscow’s interests
Whether or not scripted by Moscow, this narrative dovetails with Russian propaganda. Kremlin-aligned outlets routinely cite Hungarian sources portraying Ukraine as dysfunctional and criminal. The effect is twofold: reinforcing scepticism of NATO and EU solidarity at home while lending international legitimacy to Moscow’s framing abroad.
Ukraine as the 2026 campaign theme
Despite flirtations with other themes – attacks on Pride and civic liberties, civil society organisations or other ‘threats to sovereignty’ – by spring 2025, it was evident that Ukraine would remain the government’s central campaign issue ahead of the 2026 elections.
The nationwide VOKS2025 ‘consultation’ confirmed the direction: a resounding rejection of Ukraine’s EU accession, especially from Fidesz voters. Even the opposition Tisza Party’s own questionnaire revealed Ukraine as its weakest issue.
The topic suits Fidesz perfectly. War is frightening, Ukraine is divisive, and EU accession is distant enough to be endlessly debated. It is also difficult for average citizens to access reliable information about Ukraine’s internal dynamics – making them more receptive to government framing.
Targeting Péter Magyar
The anti-Ukraine narrative is not only about foreign policy; it is also a weapon against Orbán’s domestic rivals.
With the Tisza Party rising in the polls, Fidesz has moved to associate its leader, Péter Magyar, with Ukrainian intelligence and foreign agendas. He is accused of serving ‘Brussels’s interests,’ pushing for war, and accelerating Ukraine’s EU membership. The alleged ‘spy scandal’ has been folded seamlessly into Fidesz’s broader communication strategy of identifying both external and internal enemies.
Information manipulation escalates
Government propaganda has crossed new thresholds. AI-generated videos show coffins, bloodied Hungarian soldiers, and apocalyptic images of a country destroyed unless Orbán is re-elected. Three incidents in 2025 further poisoned relations:
- the suspicious death of József Sebestyén, a Hungarian conscript in Ukraine, was exploited as evidence of ‘forced conscription’;
- the intentional burning of a Ukrainian church with an anti-Hungarian slogan, raising suspicions of a false-flag provocation; and
- a Russian intelligence statement alleging a Brussels-Kyiv plot to replace Orbán with Magyar, published uncritically by the Hungarian state news agency.
Each episode has been weaponised to deepen mistrust of Ukraine while bolstering Fidesz’s siege mentality.
Heading into 2026
Hungarian-Ukrainian relations are now at their lowest point in decades. What began as calculated rhetoric has become a permanent campaign tool. With parliamentary elections scheduled for April 2026, anti-Ukraine messaging will intensify further.
Even if peace talks make progress internationally, no shift can be expected from Budapest. Orbán’s communications strategy is locked in: Ukraine is the existential threat, Hungary the innocent bystander, and Fidesz the sole guarantor of safety. It is a narrative that serves Moscow, damages European solidarity, and leaves Hungary ever more isolated – across a bitter border.
