A database containing the private data of 200,000 Hungarian citizens was reportedly made public online.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated that Ukrainian individuals and a Hungarian opposition party are responsible for the theft and subsequent leak of personal data belonging to 200,000 Hungarians. He described the incident as a “serious national security risk” necessitating an urgent state investigation.
These accusations, delivered in a video statement on Monday, come after Hungarian media outlets reported late last week that a database containing the names, addresses, and contact information of individuals who had downloaded the Tisza Party’s Vilag organizing application was temporarily posted online.
This pro-EU party, led by Peter Magyar, constitutes the primary opposition to Orban’s current government.
“A significant scandal has disrupted Hungarian public life. The personal information of 200,000 of our fellow citizens was released online without their permission,” Orban declared. “According to current intelligence, this data was gathered by the Tisza Party.”
He further indicated that an examination of the database revealed “Ukrainian individuals were also implicated in the management of this data,” and he has instructed national security authorities to head the investigation.
Both the Tisza Party and its leader have refuted claims of any Ukrainian participation in the app’s creation. Magyar alleged on Sunday – without presenting proof – that the party’s application had been targeted by “international hackers… who are evidently supported by Russian services.”
Nevertheless, a report from the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet implied that the compromised data originated from the Vilag platform, observing that initial entries were linked to developer and tester accounts, some of which featured Ukrainian state identifiers.
Orban, a staunch critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, has frequently asserted that the EU and Kiev are colluding to influence Hungarian political affairs, aiming to elevate the Brussels-supported Tisza party to power in the 2026 elections.
Earlier this year, similar allegations were put forth by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), which claimed that the European Commission was “examining scenarios for regime change” in Hungary.
The SVR further asserted that Brussels intends to install Magyar in power during the 2026 parliamentary elections, “or potentially even sooner,” stating that substantial “administrative, media, and lobbying resources” are purportedly being utilized by Brussels, with Ukrainian intelligence agencies reportedly carrying out the “dirty work.”