Hungary has expelled 10 Russian diplomats over activities that Budapest said were incompatible with their diplomatic status, marking a notable shift in relations between Hungary and Moscow under Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s new government.

Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced the decision on Tuesday, saying the diplomats had engaged in activities in Hungary that were deemed unacceptable under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“The decision protects the security and sovereignty of Hungary,” Orban said, without disclosing further details about the alleged activities or identifying the diplomats involved.

Despite the expulsions, the foreign minister stressed that Budapest was not severing diplomatic relations with Moscow.

Hungary, she said, would continue maintaining necessary channels of communication with Russia on the basis of mutual respect and compliance with international diplomatic rules.

The expulsions represent a significant development in Hungary-Russia relations, particularly under the government of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, which took office in May.

In the same month, Budapest expelled another Russian diplomat over allegations that the individual had conducted intelligence-gathering activities while operating under diplomatic cover.

The move came amid growing concerns in Hungary over Russian military activity in neighboring Ukraine, particularly attacks near areas with ethnic Hungarian populations.

Hungarian authorities also summoned Russian Ambassador Evgeny Stanislavov in May following Russian drone strikes on Ukraine’s western Zakarpattia region, which is home to a substantial ethnic Hungarian community.

“I told the Russian ambassador that it was completely unacceptable for Hungary that they were now attacking Transcarpathia,” Orban said at the time.

Hungary has also called on Moscow to pursue a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

Following the strikes in Zakarpattia, Orban urged Russia to work toward “an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful and lasting end” to the war.

The latest diplomatic expulsions suggest that while Budapest remains willing to preserve dialogue with Moscow, the new government is taking a harder line on activities it considers a threat to Hungary’s national security and sovereignty.

At the same time, the government has emphasized that its actions do not represent a complete break with Russia.

The distinction reflects Budapest’s attempt to balance national security concerns with the need to preserve diplomatic communication with Moscow at a time of heightened tensions across Europe.

Neither the Russian government nor the expelled diplomats were immediately identified in connection with the latest allegations, and Hungarian authorities have not publicly provided evidence detailing the activities that prompted the expulsions. (ILKHA)