Overview
- The Hungarian foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and on Tuesday asked ten members of the Russian mission to leave the country, calling their activities incompatible with diplomatic rules.
- Officials framed the step as a sovereignty and security measure and said it does not mean a break in diplomatic relations with Russia.
- Moscow immediately warned it would respond with "hard and painful" measures, making reciprocal expulsions or other diplomatic reprisals likely in the coming days.
- Hungary has not released names, specific allegations, a timetable for departures, or public evidence to support the expulsions, leaving key facts unresolved.
- Observers say the move marks a clear policy shift from the previous Russia-friendly government, and investigative reporting names earlier ‘silent expulsions’ and prior security lists of suspected Russian agents as background to the decision.