Ukraine says it has uncovered a spy network being run by the Hungarian state to obtain intelligence about its defences near their shared border.Ukraine’s security service said it had detained two alleged Hungarian spies who it accused of gathering intelligence.”For the first time in Ukraine’s history, the Security Service has exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network that was conducting espionage activities to the detriment of our state,” the SBU said.Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the allegations “should be treated carefully as propaganda until such time as we receive any details or official information”.Speaking on the Hungarian ATV television channel, he said that “anti-Hungarian propaganda is often employed in Ukraine… which often turns out to have no basis in fact”.He did not directly deny the allegations but later on Friday, Szijjarto said two Ukrainian diplomats had been expelled from Budapest.Hungary is a member of the European Union and Nato – both firm allies of Ukraine – but President Viktor Orban has repeatedly sided with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. The alleged spy network was established by Hungary’s military intelligence with the aim of collecting data about the location and number of air defence systems, as well as law enforcement officers and their vehicles, in the western Zakarpattia region, the SBU said.Zakarpattia is the western region of Ukraine that shares an 84-mile (137km) border with Hungary.The spies had also been gathering information on the public sentiment among local residents to predict their response in the event of a Hungarian incursion, according to the SBU.The SBU gave no indication that the alleged plot was in aid of Russia.The woman and man who were detained – referred to by the SBU as “traitors” – were former members of the Ukrainian military and were allegedly being supervised by a Hungarian intelligence officer.The SBU …
