Russia launched a large-scale information operation targeting the Hungarian community in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region in an effort to destabilize the area and inflame tensions between Kyiv and Budapest, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on March 18.
The agency reported that Russian special services were behind a new information and psychological operation aimed at worsening the security situation in the western border region.
The campaign was designed to stir fear among ethnic Hungarians and deepen friction between Ukraine and Hungary.
The technical part of the operation relied on IP telephony spoofing.
Using what appeared to be Ukrainian phone numbers, callers made anonymous threats against representatives of the Hungarian national community, seeking to disguise the origin of the campaign and present it as domestic intimidation.
During the calls, the unidentified individuals posed as members of so-called nationalist-patriotic groups and, in some cases, as Ukrainian law enforcement officers.
They reportedly demanded that members of the Hungarian community leave Ukraine and threatened them with physical violence.
Following technical measures, Ukrainian investigators established that the calls originated from Russian territory. The agency stated it is now working to block the ongoing operation and limit its impact.
The disinformation campaign also intersects with broader disputes between Kyiv and Budapest over the war.
Hungarian authorities are moving to imprison a Hungarian citizen over service in Ukraine’s war against Russia, a step that underscores Budapest’s increasingly hostile posture toward volunteers fighting on Kyiv’s side.
The case centers on participation in Ukraine’s defense, turning battlefield service against Russian forces into a domestic criminal matter at home.
The move places Hungary in sharp contrast with other European states that have handled foreign volunteers through political or administrative channels rather than framing such service as grounds for jail time.
For Ukraine, the case adds another layer of friction with a neighboring EU and NATO member whose disputes with Kyiv have repeatedly spilled into the security sphere.
