The first mention of detained espionage suspect Istvan Hollo came from Fidesz parliamentary group leader Mate Kocsis after Tuesday’s meeting of the National Security Committee. He stated that the Ukrainian citizen maintained direct contact with a former senior leader of Hungary’s defense sector. The two had discussed Hungary’s defense industry and military stockpiles in a context closely tied to Ukraine’s weapons and ammunition needs.
Kocsis added that during his activities in Hungary, the man, in cooperation with Ukrainian military intelligence, engaged in active intelligence gathering on Hungarian army and energy systems. He emphasized that several relevant individuals from Ukrainian intelligence, the Hungarian military, and the energy sector were identified in his network.
The Ruszin-Szendi–Weber–Hollo Axis
As a result of our investigations and background discussions, it became clear that the former high-ranking military officer mentioned by Mate Kocsis was none other than former Chief of General Staff Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, now an expert for the Tisza Party. It was also confirmed that Istvan Hollo - now under arrest, as well as Roland Tseber, who had been expelled from Hungary for espionage—played significant roles in Ukraine's efforts to exert influence within Hungary. The case also involves a major player in the arms business: billionaire Hungarian entrepreneur Janos Weber.
Of note about Weber: media reports and company records describe him as a staunch left-wing billionaire. Born in 1956, he served in the counter-terrorism police unit before becoming an entrepreneur.
He amassed significant wealth from weapons manufacturing, though he has since wound down most of his domestic ventures. According to our sources, he remains active in Western Europe. His best-known company was Combat Trade Kft., which he left in 2010. Weber has long-standing ties to the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), most notably as a childhood friend of powerful party treasurer Laszlo Puch.
Now, for a look at developments surrounding former Chief of General Staff Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, currently expert advisor to the Tisza Party
Ruszin-Szendi and His Allies Considered Establishing a Political Party
Ruszin-Szendi served as Hungary's Chief of General Staff until April 2023, when he was dismissed over dubious conduct. By this time he had become well familiar with Weber and his circle, who were now encouraging him to form a right-wing party. According to our sources, preparations began in 2023 with meetings held at the site of the FEG (Weapon and Gas Appliance Manufacturer).
Istvan Hollo, mentioned earlier, was part of Weber’s circle and reportedly developed a close, trusted relationship with Ruszin-Szendi. The exact start of their connection is unknown, but a government investigation revealed that Ruszin-Szendi, while still Chief of General Staff, pursued a strongly pro-Ukrainian stance going against the official Hungarian government position he was tasked with representing. He even distorted NATO meeting reports to mislead Hungarian government officials. Ruszin-Szendi has since boasted of his excellent Ukrainian connections, clearly suggesting the kind of Ukraine-related policy his party - had it been established - would have promoted.
However, the plan to found a new party was scrapped after Peter Magyar’s emergence in February 2024. The Hungarian political scene soon revolved around Magyar, who had split from the Fidesz orbit following a dramatic divorce from former Justice Minister Judit Varga. Absorbing the pre-existing Tisza Party, he rapidly drew opposition supporters. Consequently, Ruszin-Szendi and his group abandoned their plans and, with support from the Weber–Hollo duo, joined the Tisza Party in November 2024. According to our sources, significant financial resources also came with Ruszin-Szendi—provided by the Weber circle. By February 2025, Peter Magyar presented Ruszin-Szendi as a Tisza Party expert at the party congress.
Work at the Tisza Party
Ruszin-Szendi got to work. On May 5, Peter Magyar appeared jointly with him in a social media video claiming they had obtained a document containing information that would cause the downfall of the Orban government. Three days later, the Tisza Party president released a recording in which Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky could be heard talking about the plan to build a combat-ready, effective army—in essence laying out the general aim and responsibility of Defense Ministries everywhere - hardly a scandal. However, on May 9, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced the arrest of two Hungarian citizens on espionage charges. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto swiftly responded, calling it a Ukrainian smear campaign and propaganda.
On May 13, after a Defense Council meeting, Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Hungary was under an unprecedented intelligence attack.
He pointed out that Ukraine is orchestrating a coordinated smear campaign to derail the government's ongoing public opinion consultation, Voks 2025, and ultimately Hungary’s opposition to Ukraine’s EU accession. Their Hungarian connections were revived, including a Hungarian political party to attack the Hungarian Military. PM Orban also stated: "a Hungarian opposition party actively participated in a Ukrainian intelligence operation—something unprecedented in living memory."
Mysterious Meetings in Teplice
The scandal also has ties to local media in Budapest’s 14th district. Publicly available records show that Zuglo TV is backed by a company registered in Teplice, Czech Republic—a city reportedly visited multiple times by Ruszin-Szendi and Weber to meet with one Mykola Smetanka. Smetanka is connected to Roland Tseber, a central figure in the Ukrainian espionage case. This connection became particularly relevant last autumn when Tseber was expelled from Hungary for spying. Since then, Smetanka has allegedly been managing Tseber’s affairs in the Euopean Union.
After the above mentioned National Security Committee meeting on Tuesday, member Mate Kocsis revealed that an entry and residence ban had been imposed on Tseber following a meeting he arranged between a former high-ranking Hungarian military leader, arms manufacturers, and foreign investors. According to our sources, the senior Hungarian official involved in the meeting was Ruszin-Szendi.
Kocsis also mentioned that Tseber had established ties with multiple figures in the Hungarian opposition and had helped organize visits by Hungarian politicians to Ukraine.
Ukraine Trip Organized in 24 Hours
Tseber reportedly helped organize Peter Magyar’s trip to Ukraine last summer. In a video, Tisza Party chief Magyar himself introduced the Ukrainian citizen Tseber as "'our Hungarian brother' and member of the Transcarpathian Regional Council, who helped organize the trip in an incredibly short 24 hours and would serve as interpreter during a meeting with the director [of a children’s hospital in Kyiv - ed.]".
Tseber remains active on social media. According to Ripost, he established personal contact with Peter Magyar within weeks of Magyar’s entry into party politics, closely followed his campaign events, and frequently posted enthusiastically about Magyar’s commitment to Ukraine and its EU accession.
Cover photo: Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi (Photo: MTI/Sandor Ujvari)
