How the Ukrainian Leadership Enveloped the Tisza Party – Part 2

The European Union reacted harshly to Viktor Orban's and the Hungarian government’s prolonged resistance to Ukraine’s fast-tracked accession to the EU — ultimately leading to the Tisza Party being placed under Ukraine’s guardianship. With the help of Peter Magyar, the aim is to undermine both the credibility of the Hungarian government and the ongoing public opinion vote, in which citizens are given a chance to decide on Ukraine. In the second installment of our series, we examine how the emergence of former Chief of General Staff Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi within the party revealed the true intentions behind the Tisza Party’s efforts.

Peter Magyar quickly found himself in hot water due to his Ukrainian intelligence ties (Photo: Gabor Markovics)

 

Slava Ukraini! 

In the summer of 2022, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi made a secret visit to Ukraine — an event reported only by the Hungarian embassy in Kyiv. A photo report of the meeting was also published on the Ukrainian army’s official website. According to the report, the delegation was led by Mr. Ruszin-Szendi himself. At the time, the Hungarian military chief of staff met with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces. Zaluzhnyi commented that the visit was a sign of Hungary’s support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

I highly value the professional and cordial relationship I have with my Hungarian colleague and am satisfied with the military cooperation between our nations,

– the Ukrainian commander was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Tisza Party’s military expert, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, and the former Ukrainian chief of general staff hold each other in high esteem.

By now it's come to light that the Hungarian chief of staff promoted a pro-Ukrainian stance at NATO meetings—rather than the official Hungarian position. A Ministry of Defense investigation revealed that Mr. Ruszin-Szendi engaged in dual messaging: while his official reports conformed to the Hungarian government’s stance, his speeches at NATO sessions ended with the phrase “Slava Ukraini!” (“Glory to Ukraine!”).

How Ukrainian intelligence became entangled in Hungarian politics will be explored in the next part of our investigative series.

Cover photo: Peter Magyar quickly finds himself in hot water due to his Ukrainian intelligence ties (Photo: Gabor Markovics)