A bombshell leaked audio recording appears to reveal a coordinated operation targeting Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, indicating the possible involvement of an unnamed foreign intelligence service. The recording features investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, who admits to sharing Szijjártó’s phone number with a foreign intelligence service.
In the conversation, Panyi states that he provided ‘two numbers’ and refers to a system capable of tracking communications—‘who calls whom and when’—suggesting potential surveillance of the foreign minister’s contacts.
Panyi declined to name the country involved, adding that they had access to metadata related to the Hungarian foreign minister’s communications. The authenticity of the recording has not yet been independently verified; however, if confirmed, such claims could point to a significant breach affecting Hungary’s foreign policy leadership.
Szabolcs Panyi is at the centre of the current Russian interference claims surrounding Viktor Orbán’s government and the broader narrative questioning the legitimacy of Hungary’s upcoming elections. Earlier in March, Panyi alleged that Russian military intelligence officers had been deployed to Hungary to support Orbán’s campaign. The report relied on anonymous intelligence sources and provided no evidence to substantiate the claim. Nevertheless, it was picked up by POLITICO Brussels, Financial Times, The Telegraph, and other Western outlets.
The report has since become central to the narrative-building of Orbán’s opposition, both domestically and at the European level. Over the weekend, The Washington Post published a similar article, accusing Russia of proposing a fake assassination plot against Orbán to boost his support ahead of the April elections and of leaking confidential EU information to Moscow. Both claims are based on anonymous intelligence sources and are not supported by verifiable evidence.
Reacting to The Washington Post’s report, Panyi wrote on his social media: ‘The best is yet to come.’
In the leaked audio, Panyi also describes Anita Orbán, the foreign minister candidate of the Hungarian opposition Tisza Party, as a ‘quasi friend’, referencing past campaign cooperation and ongoing professional ties. He further suggests potential influence over personnel decisions within the foreign ministry in the event of a change of government in April, stating that he could recommend ‘who should stay or be removed’.
The recording also alludes to possible future access to sensitive ministry documents through these connections, with claims that such access could be facilitated in the case of a change in government.
Reacting to the claims, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán instructed the Ministry of Justice to immediately investigate the information related to the alleged surveillance of Péter Szijjártó.
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