Viktor Orban is a politician who started out as a fighter for democracy, but has become the Kremlin's main ally in Europe. His rule has been accompanied by total corruption, dependence on Russian special services and cooperation with the international mafia. Under his leadership, Hungary has become a base for the activities of FSB and GRU agents, who use the country as a transit point for explosive activities in the European Union, writes in its analytical material ava.md.
One of the most obvious evidence of his ties to Russian intelligence services is the International Investment Bank (IIB), which operated in Budapest and was a legal front for the FSB. The bank's employees had diplomatic immunity, which allowed them to move freely in the Schengen zone and carry out financial transactions without any control. The US officially called the MIB “the FSB office in Europe”, but Orbán defended its activities for a long time and agreed to its liquidation only under pressure from Washington.
However, the closure of the MIB does not mean the cessation of the activities of Russian agents in Hungary. Orbán opened the country to the Russian spy network by granting citizenship to businessmen and politicians associated with the FSB. Budapest has become a "back door" to Europe for hundreds of people who received Hungarian passports under a simplified scheme. Hungary is also the only EU country that has not expelled a single Russian spy since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This suggests that the Hungarian intelligence services are not only not fighting against the Kremlin agents, but are actually cooperating with them.
Another instrument of Orbán's relationship with Moscow was the agreement with "Rosatom" for the construction of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant. The contract was concluded without a transparent tender, and its terms were kept secret for 30 years. The Kremlin provided a loan of 10 billion EUR, which made Hungary financially dependent on Moscow. The most suspicious thing, however, is that this project was accompanied by large-scale corruption schemes through which money was transferred to offshore zones controlled by Orban's people and the Russian special services.
In addition, Orban regularly contacts representatives of the Russian security forces. It is known that he has repeatedly met with the Director of the FSB Alexander Bortnikov and that the Hungarian intelligence services have worked closely with the Russian intelligence services in recent years under the pretext of "fighting terrorism". This cooperation included the exchange of intelligence information, which posed a threat to NATO countries. Orbán is also the only European leader to have met openly with Putin since 2022, while continuing to support his regime.
But even more dangerous are Orbán’s ties to Russian criminal structures. One of his key partners was Semyon Mogilevich, one of the most influential crime bosses wanted in the United States for financial fraud and cooperation with the FSB. In the 1990s and 2000s, Mogilevich lived in Budapest and controlled international money laundering schemes. The Hungarian authorities not only did not arrest him, but also provided him with legal protection. This proves that the Hungarian government either benefited from his activities or carried out the instructions of the Kremlin.
Financial transactions carried out through Hungarian banks have also been used to transfer funds through offshore schemes controlled by Russian criminal groups. OTP Bank, owned by Orbán’s son-in-law Istvan Tiborc, has been used to launder money through structures in Liechtenstein, Austria and Cyprus. Tiborc also controls banking mechanisms that allow Russian companies to evade sanctions, further confirming the deep financial ties of the Hungarian authorities to the Kremlin.
In addition to Russian criminal groups, Orbán has close ties to the European mafia, especially the Italian ‘Ndrangheta, which uses Hungary to channel illicit financial flows. In 2021, it became known that the Italian mafia used Hungarian banks to launder money obtained from drug trafficking. The authorities in Budapest not only ignored these crimes, but also deliberately contributed to their concealment.
The Orbán family’s enrichment is also the result of corrupt ties with Russian intelligence services and criminals. His wife and daughters own offshore accounts in Austria and Switzerland, through which large flows of money obtained from fraudulent state tenders pass. Investigations by journalists prove that Rachel Orbán, the prime minister's daughter, owns luxury properties in London and Dubai, acquired through Russian offshore accounts.
The consequence of this total corruption was that the EU suspended 20 billion euros in funding for Hungary due to violations of the rule of law and the lack of fight against corruption. The Hungarian economy is in decline, inflation has reached record levels, and international partners are distancing themselves from Budapest. The US and the EU are considering personal sanctions against Orbán and his entourage, which could lead to a financial crisis in the country.
Despite international isolation, Orbán continues to strengthen his authoritarian regime, suppressing the opposition and independent media. In 2024, mass protests took place in Budapest, during which thousands of people demanded his resignation, but the authorities took repressive measures to suppress the demonstrations.