Summary: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused Ukraine of preparing actions to disrupt Hungary's energy system and ordered troops and equipment to protect critical infrastructure. The dispute centers on a prolonged shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline — Budapest and Bratislava blame Kyiv, while Ukraine says a Russian drone strike caused the damage. Hungary also vetoed new EU sanctions on Russia and a large loan to Ukraine amid the row, and Orbán has framed upcoming elections as a choice between "war or peace."
Orban Deploys Troops to Protect Energy Infrastructure, Accuses Ukraine of Planned Disruption
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends the spring session of parliament in Budapest, Hungary, February 23, 2026. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Budapest, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday accused Ukraine of preparing actions to disrupt Hungary's energy system and said he had ordered soldiers and equipment to be deployed to protect critical energy infrastructure.
Orbán made the accusation in a video posted to his Facebook page, repeating his claim that the shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline was driven by "political, not technical, reasons." He said intelligence reports pointed to possible further attempts to disrupt Hungary's energy network.
"I see that Ukraine is preparing further actions to disrupt the operation of the Hungarian energy system," Orbán said. "Therefore, I have ordered the reinforcement of protection for critical energy infrastructure. This means that we will deploy soldiers and equipment necessary to repel attacks near key energy facilities."
The move escalates a dispute with Kyiv over a prolonged halt to supplies on the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia. Budapest and Bratislava have blamed Ukraine for the outage, while Kyiv has said the interruption followed a Russian drone strike that damaged pipeline equipment in western Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Orbán's allegation on Wednesday.
Hungary and Slovakia have maintained relatively close ties with Moscow and have clashed with other European Union members over the scale of military support for Ukraine amid Russia's invasion. On Monday, Hungary kept its veto on new EU sanctions on Russia and on a large loan package for Ukraine amid the dispute over oil supplies.
Orbán has also framed Hungary's April 12 parliamentary election as a stark choice between "war or peace," warning that his opponents would drag the country into the neighbouring conflict.
Background: The Druzhba pipeline is a major conduit for Russian crude to several European refiners. Disputes over its operations have significant diplomatic and energy-security implications for the region.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves; additional reporting by Olena Harmash in Kyiv; writing by Jason Hovet; editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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