Ukrainian Intelligence Infiltrates the Tisza Party - Part One

The recent Ukrainian spy scandal has shaken Hungarian public life, especially after it became clear that Ukraine is attempting to interfere in Hungary's internal affairs and disrupt the Orban government’s pro-peace stance. Information is gradually coming to light, indicating that Ukraine’s secret service has found a partner in this effort: the Tisza Party, led by Peter Magyar. According to the information released so far, three key figures are involved in this spy operation: the Tisza Party’s defense expert Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi and two Ukrainian intelligence agents, Roland Tseber and Istvan Hollo. In this two-part summary, Magyar Nemzet will show how Ukraine’s intelligence service infiltrated the Tisza Party, Hungary’s largest opposition party.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto quickly responded, denouncing the incident as a Ukrainian smear campaign and propaganda effort. On May 13, following a meeting of the Defense Council, Viktor Orban stated that Hungary had come under an unprecedented intelligence attack.

The Exposed Foreign Intelligence Agents

Hungary didn’t wait long to respond. Also on May 9, a Ukrainian spy, Istvan Hollo, was arrested (along with several other intelligence agents who were expelled from the country), and the court ordered his detention. He will be discussed further in the second part of our series. Mate Kocsis, following the May 20 session of the National Security Committee, named Hollo and another agent, Roland Tseber, stating both had engaged in espionage for Ukraine. It was also revealed that Tseber had already been expelled from Hungary in the fall of the previous year. Mate Kocsis explained that Hungary’s national security services had been monitoring Tseber Roland for a long time and had identified him as an illegal operative for the Ukrainian intelligence services. The Fidesz parliamentary group leader also mentioned that the man held dual Ukrainian–Hungarian citizenship until 2017, when he renounced his Hungarian citizenship—likely due to political ambitions in Ukraine.

Peter Magyar’s Trip with the Ukrainian Spy

This is where the threads start to connect, with Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi playing a key role in the relationship between the Ukrainian service and the Tisza Party. The former chief of staff has ties to both men suspected of spying for Ukraine. Tseber’s name surfaced in the media even before Kocsis’s press briefing, as the man who had arranged Peter Magyar’s trip to Ukraine. According to Ripost, there is mounting evidence that Magyar’s trip was organized by the Ukrainian intelligence service. The news outlet recalled Peter Magyar’s trip to Ukraine in July of last year, when he took selfies throughout the journey with Roland Tseber. Being the organizer, Tseber accompanied and documented every step of the Tisza Party president during his visit. Ripost pointed out that Tseber Roland is a high-ranking officer in the Military Administration of Transcarpathia and also a representative of President Zelensky’s party on the Transcarpathian Regional Council.

Peter Magyar introduced him like this: “Roland Tseber, our Hungarian brother, a councilor on the Transcarpathian Regional Council, will assist us. He helped organize this trip within just 24 hours and will also help interpret for us when we meet the director” (referring to the head of a children's hospital in Kyiv).

Threats Against Viktor Orban

Tseber apparently didn’t take kindly to being exposed. He went so far as to threaten the Hungarian prime minister. The Ukrainian intelligence officer posted the following message on Facebook: “Fidesz, you are rats that have been cornered. And rightly so. The next move is mine. Viktor Orban.” Reacting to the post, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that this disgraceful comment—made by a man whom the Tisza Party's president calls his brother—fits into a broader pattern of espionage and intelligence activity. He emphasized that the message is a threat and must be taken seriously. “I consider it a disgrace,” Szijjarto added, “that a person like this is closely affiliated with the Hungarian member party of the European People’s Party, namely the Tisza Party and its president.”

Meeting in Teplice

Returning to Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, it was revealed during the committee meetings that a travel and residence ban was imposed on Tseber after he arranged a meeting between a former high-ranking Hungarian military official and individuals with a stake in arms manufacturing and foreign investors. He had also increased his intelligence activities within Hungary. The former military leader at that meeting was none other than Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi.

Such meetings reportedly took place in Teplice, Czech Republic. According to our sources, Ruszin-Szendi and an old acquaintance, Janos Weber, appeared there multiple times to meet with local businessman and investor Mykola Smetanka. Smetanka is known to have a good relationship with Roland Tseber. This relationship gained special significance last fall when Tseber was expelled from Hungary for espionage. Since then—according to our information—Mykola Smetanka has been handling Tseber’s affairs within the European Union.

The Billionaire Arms Dealer

Janos Weber is known as a billionaire Hungarian businessman with interests in the arms trade. Based on past press reports and corporate records, Weber is described as a committed left-wing billionaire. Born in 1956, he first served in the police counterterrorism unit before becoming a businessman. It’s also worth noting that Weber had several ties to the Hungarian Socialist Party. Most notably, he was a childhood friend of Laszlo Puch, the party’s treasurer and a powerful figure. Among his many companies, Weber’s best-known enterprise is Combat Kereskedelmi Kft. Reports from past decades indicate that during Weber’s involvement, Combat regularly received contracts from leftist-liberal governments.

Attempt to Found a Political Party

According to our information, Janos Weber and his business circle tried to persuade the former chief of staff, dismissed in 2023, to found a right-wing political party. Sources say preparations for this began in 2023, with meetings held on the premises of the Arms and Gas Appliance Factory (FEG). Ruszin-Szendi boasted of his excellent Ukrainian contacts and, as previously reported, promoted a pro-Ukrainian narrative at NATO meetings. It is no surprise what kind of stance a party led by him would have taken on Ukraine-related issues.

Financial Support for the Tisza Party

However, the emergence of Peter Magyar in February 2024 disrupted those plans. Due to developments in the political scene, Ruszin-Szendi and his group abandoned their earlier efforts. The failed chief of staff instead joined the Tisza Party and became its defense expert. According to sources, significant financial backing came to Peter Magyar’s party through Ruszin-Szendi, provided by Weber’s circle. This same circle included Istvan Hollo, the Ukrainian citizen currently under arrest on suspicion of espionage, who was known to be closely tied to Ruszin-Szendi. It was his contacts with this network that caused Ruszin-Szendi to be dismissed.

 Entangling Former President of the Socialists 

Roland Tseber  made contacts not only to Peter Magyar, but also to several other figures in the Hungarian opposition. These included Attila Mesterhazy, former president of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP). We have information that Tseber's circle provided significant financial support to Zuglo TV, which Attila Mesterhazy saw as a potential media platform for his new political movement. Our sources say this operation was financed in the summer of 2023 by Tseber and the Ukrainian man's associates. The story dates back to December 10, 2020, when Ukrainian customs officials found a large quantity of cigarettes in the trunk of then-MSZP politician Zsolt Legeny’s car. Criminal proceedings were initiated against him in Ukraine, but he was ultimately not convicted. We understand that it was no coincidence that the former deputy leader of the MSZP parliamentary group escaped prosecution. Sources claim Tseber helped Legeny out of legal trouble in exchange for access to EU and NATO contacts. That’s when Mesterhazy came into the picture—introduced to Tseber by Legeny. As former vice president and president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Mesterhazy was seen by Tseber as a gold mine of connections. Mesterhazy admitted he met with Tseber multiple times and even took him to Brussels once. When asked about Zuglo TV, he said in one specific case, serious consideration was given to Tseber acting as an intermediary to assist the financially struggling station, which would have become a partnered of a Ukrainian TV channel. However, Mesterhazy stated that Tseber never delivered on any promises, and the project never materialized. Interestingly, Zuglo TV also connects back to Teplice and the same investor who met with Ruszin-Szendi—Mykola Smetanka. Smetanka is reportedly linked to the district television station through a Teplice-based company.

To be continued.

Cover photo: Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi and Valerii Zaluzhnyi (Source: Facebook)