A very inopportune statement by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has only served to help Orbán’s rule of fear and war mongering. Frustrated by Hungary’s constant blocking of EU loans to Ukraine, Zelenskyy threatened:
We hope that a certain person in the EU will not block the €90bn, or its first instalment, and that Ukrainian soldiers will receive the weapons. Otherwise, we will pass this person’s address on to the armed forces.
Sadly, threats by a foreign leader, especially the Ukrainian president, are a gift to Orbán’s campaign of fear in the election campaign. Hungarian government propaganda has portrayed Ukraine as the aggressor who started the Russia – Ukraine war. Posters present Orbán as the protector of peace, instilling fear of the EU and the opposition, who are suspected of wanting Hungary to get involved in the war, even planning to put Hungarian soldiers on the ground.
The EU also condemned Zelenskyy’s statement and asked for both sides to tone down their language.
Magyar walks a tightrope
Magyar has to tread very carefully. In response to Zelenskyy’s unfortunate threat, he firmly stated that “no foreign leader can threaten a single Hungarian citizen”, effectively neutralising Fidesz’s attempt to paint him as a foreign agent. In a rare show of support for Orbán, he invited Zelenskyy also to give his own address to the military if he chose to.
Many Hungarians are already living in fear in everyday life. Especially in small rural communities, where often a mayor is a government supporter, voicing support for Tisza might mean losing your job or customers boycotting your shop. Your child might be bullied in school, and in some cases, you might even face physical attacks by irate Orbán supporters calling you a traitor or a foreign agent.
Péter Magyar reclaims nationalism
The Hungarian Observer analyses how Péter Magyar and his Tisza party have successfully challenged Viktor Orbán by ‘reclaiming’ nationalism – a tool previously monopolised by the ruling Fidesz party to discredit opponents as ‘anti-Hungarian’ foreign agents.
Traditionally, Fidesz has framed the opposition as ‘puppets’ of Brussels or Ukraine. Magyar disrupted this by refusing to take a ‘cosmopolitan’ or ‘liberal’ stance. Instead, he uses a credible, sensible nationalism to shield himself from attacks.
Unlike Orbán’s rigid alliances (eg with Russia or Trump), Magyar advocates for a ‘case-by-case’ advancement of Hungarian interests. He supports the EU, like most of the public, but avoids unconditional alignment.
While Fidesz nationalism is defined by ‘enemies’ (Soros, migrants, Brussels, etc), Tisza focuses on internal solidarity. Magyar emphasises caring for the elderly, children in state care and struggling families as the ultimate act of patriotism.
Magyar’s rhetoric is celebratory, leaning heavily on Hungarian history and literature to inspire confidence in the future rather than fear of the outside world.
His rallies are described as a ‘sea of national colours’, using flags and patriotic slogans (‘Most vagy soha’ – Now or never) to visually claim the title of the ‘true’ patriots.
By heavily referencing the 1848 and 1956 revolutions, he frames his movement as the modern successor to Hungary’s freedom fights.
The Hungarian Observer article suggests that the key to defeating far-right populists is not to reject nationalism but to offer a positive, inclusive version of it.
Why it is working now
As a newcomer who broke away from the establishment, Magyar doesn’t carry the ‘internationalist leftist’ baggage of previous opposition leaders.
Voters are exhausted by Fidesz’s fear-based campaign and find Magyar’s compassionate nationalism to be a ‘breath of fresh air’.
However, Orbán’s campaign to remain in power is reaching extreme levels.
Orbán’s AI-generated propaganda of fear
Balkan Insights’ ‘Reporting on democracy’ article called “Orbán brings war into the Hungarian sitting rooms” describes the latest tools in the government’s desperate attempts to hold on to power against an opposition that is leading in the polls. One of the videos issued by the government shows a little girl with her face pressed against the window, asking when her father will come home.
The AI-generated video has caused widespread unease among the public and marks a new low in the dirty election campaign. Yet it is an effective tool to incite fear in a society susceptible to claims that the opposition will join with the EU in dragging Hungary into the war in Ukraine.
The video with the little girl fearing for her soldier father’s death was shared by Fidesz with a comment showing the government’s anti-EU messaging: “For now, this is only a nightmare, but Brussels is preparing to make it a reality.”
Impact on children
Hungary’s Children’s Rights Association has warned of the impact this video could have on children’s mental health and has demanded that politicians stop using such videos in their campaigns. Erika Pehr, president of the NGO Coalition of Children’s Rights, says: “This deep fake video suggests that it is up to your decision at the April elections whether the little girl’s father is shot in the head. This is absurd.” Several parents have already reported that their children are scared, unable to sleep and have lost their sense of security since the election campaign began. “There is clearly a heightened level of anxiety”, Pehr says.
A new threat from Russian interference
Szabolcs Panyi, an independent investigative journalist, reports in VSquare:
“Moscow has dispatched a team to Budapest to interfere in Hungary’s April 2026 parliamentary elections, VSquare has learned from multiple European national security sources. The operation, overseen by Putin confidant Sergei Kiriyenko, is designed to keep Viktor Orbán in power – and follows the same blueprint Russia used in Moldova.”
A modern 1956 Revolution?
To me, as a former child refugee whose family fled Hungary when the attempt to rid the country of Russian occupation failed, the current situation in some ways feels like a repeat of 1956. I wrote about my experiences in the revolution, which started with students demanding democracy and the authoritarian government asking for Russian support. At the time, this support was a physical invasion of Hungary and a bloody revolution. The 15 days of fighting cost at least 3000 Hungarian lives.
Magyar demands expulsion of Russians
Magyar accuses the government of inviting Russian interference into the elections. He issued a statement, which should serve as a warning to all democratic countries in Europe:
Since 1956, Viktor Orbán is the first to invite the Russians into our country. We demand an immediate end to foreign interference in the Hungarian elections. According to information from multiple sources, agents of the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) arrived in Budapest weeks ago with the aim of influencing the outcome of the Hungarian elections.
It is utterly unprecedented that a government on the brink of collapse is attempting to influence Hungarian elections through foreign interference in its own interests. I call on PM Viktor Orbán to put an immediate stop to this and to order the expulsion of Russian intelligence agents operating in Hungary under diplomatic cover.
I demand the immediate convening of the National Security Committee and that I be informed about this matter. As the prospective head of government, I also demand immediate information on what intelligence the Hungarian government has received from the services of allied countries regarding Russian interference, and why it has not taken action so far in response to this unprecedented Russian activity.
Hungary needs leadership that does not expose our homeland to threats from the East, whether from Putin or from Zelenskyy. The national interest is for Hungary to remain a stable, predictable, and reliable partner for its allies. Our country’s security and sovereignty are strengthened by these alliance systems and by responsible, predictable foreign policy. Viktor Orbán’s desperate actions weaken them.
This year we mark the 70th anniversary of 1956. Hungarians will not stand idly by while Viktor Orbán invites the Russians back into our country. Every Hungarian who loves their country must go out and vote on April 12 so that Orbán and the Russians can see the will of the Hungarian people even from the Moon.
Magyar‘s statement finishes with the quote of the motto of the 1956 Hungarian revolution:
Russians go home! (Ruszkik haza!)
Long live a free, independent, European Hungary!
I am hoping that the ever dirtier campaign by Orbán’s government will backfire. I hope people will see the desperation in the lies and vote for the opposition. I definitely will.
