“Terrible things are happening in every country exposed to populism, but nothing compares in intensity and brutality to what is happening in Hungary.”
(Nobel Prize-winning author László Krasznahorkai in an interview to @larepubblica.bsky.social)
Which court will hear the case?
🤔 It will be interesting to see how a potential new Hungarian government will deal with this situation. What we have heard so far about the migration policy of Péter Magyar's Tisza party does not differ much from Orbán's.
Since June 2024, Hungary has been fined €1 million per day by the EU over asylum rules. The amount, added to the €200 million lump sum fine, will reach €1 billion by summer. 🙀
Hungary is suing @eucourtofjustice.bsky.social over the penalties. Now the case is before the court 👇
💥SCOOP: Putin tasked Sergei Kiriyenko to run a Moldova-style election meddling operation in Hungary for Orbán, sending three GRU-linked political technologists with diplomatic or service passports to operate from the Russian Embassy in Budapest. More in my newsletter: vsquare.org/goulash-krem...
Right-wing political groups in the European Parliament today sealed an agreement on EU rules to deport migrants staying illegally in the EU after negotiations within the centrist coalition collapsed.
...'social issues' advertising in the EU, while such Fidesz' campaigns are running at full speed on the platform. "If these campaigns still run, either the controls don't work, or they're being circumvented", MEPs write, adding: "The Commission must react with extreme speed in such cases". 2/2
‼️A group of MEPs has submitted an urgent question to the @ec.europa.eu asking whether pro-Orbán propaganda and disinformation boosted on Meta during the election campaign violates the EU's digital rulebook. Moreover, Meta has publicly claimed it banned political, electoral and... 2/1
🛢️💰Trump cares not a jot about democracy. A collapse into chaos is possible. But more likely still is that new “strongmen” emerge with roots in the Revolutionary Guards. Trump then may seek a deal: we will leave you in power if you stop threatening your neighbours and let us share in the oil.
The Gulf region is much the world’s most important energy supplier. It contains 48% of global proven oil reserves and produced 31% of the world’s oil in 2024. It also contains 40% of global reserves of natural gas and supplied 24% of all LNG exports in 2024, @financialtimes.com reports
Dutch PM @robjetten.bsky.social exchanged WhatsApp messages with Viktor Orbán, the politician revealed to journalists in Brussel. “It’s obvious that we are not on the same page on a number of files,” he said, according to @politico.eu. “My own sexuality is something he’s going to have to deal with.”
Satellite images viewed by the FT clearly showed damage to the pipeline site from the Russian air strike. But the extent of the destruction could not be assessed by the images alone.
I fear that the war in the Middle East could play into his hands. At times like this, people want security, not change. On top of that, the wave of migrants and
high fuel prices have already begun to cause alarm. Orbán comes along and say that he's the only one who can solve these problems.
Orbán warns that Ukraine will drag Europe into war and spin tales of Ukrainian sabotage operations in Hungary, yet it’s Trump’s Middle East escalation that’s already sending shockwaves to Europe, with Iran targeting a United Kingdom base in Cyprus.
Fearmongering at home, real fallout abroad.
This campaign has been dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.” Epic Gamble would be more appropriate
A HVG Eufória című podcastjának vendége voltam a héten. Arról beszélgettünk újságíró kollégáimmal, hogy mi lesz az orbáni vétókkal és Ukrajnával. Meg volt egy kis trumpozás is...
Orbán is facing his toughest challenge in decades from Magyar, a former ally turned foe. But even a small losing party could erode Tisza’s margin and sway the race in Hungary’s complex election system, which can turn an edge in per cent of votes into a big advantage in seats.
They are deploying soldiers around important energy facilities, citing fears of unspecified Ukrainian attacks. The fear-mongering and hate-driven rhetoric seem to have no limits. How long can people endure this with common sense intact? 2/2
What’s happening in Hungary’s election campaign is beyond absurd. The government and Fidesz are driving a narrative filled with constant attacks on Ukraine and Brussels, spreading lies, and now even claiming that @kajakallas.bsky.social called on Hungary and Slovakia to send troops to Ukraine 2/1
💥🗳️ Bombshell poll in Hungary: 55–35 lead for Péter Magyar’s TISZA over Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP – enough for a supermajority in parliament.
The survey was conducted by Medián, widely seen as the country’s most reliable pollster, for @hvghu.bsky.social.
Fieldwork: Feb 18–23, 1,000 respondents.
While Orbán is busy vetoing decisions in Brussels and blaming the Ukrainians for the Druzhba pipeline shutdown, four executives at Hungary’s oil company MOL have sold about €3.8M worth of shares since late January, right after the stoppage and now under insider-trading scrutiny 💸
The Russians are regularly bombing the Druzhba oil pipeline, while the Hungarian government is punishing Ukraine for failing to deliver oil. Seriously, it's as if Putin and Orbán had agreed on how to cause double damage to Kiev.
Orbán’s online army has effectively blunted the impact of the EU’s transparency rules
Hungary is demanding that the damaged Druzhba pipeline be repaired so that 🇷🇺 oil deliveries to 🇭🇺 can resume.
But there may be more to it than that 👇
The EU Commission is currently reviewing a plan for Budapest to receive €16bn in defence funding as part of the EU’s joint arms procurement programme
The Hungarian ambassador to the EU on Friday raised an objection to the bloc borrowing the sum for Ukraine by issuing debt guaranteed by the EU budget, according to four people familiar with the matter. The decision requires unanimity among the 27 EU member states
The 33-second video depicts a kneeling, blindfolded soldier in Hungarian uniform being shot on a rain-drenched battlefield. A caption reads, in part: "This is only a nightmare now, but Brussels is preparing to make it a reality ... Let's not take risks. Fidesz is the safe choice!"
Today, the Board of Peace, which consists of a bunch of autocratic thieves (with all due respect to the exceptions), will meet to decide the fate of Gaza. Poor Gazans. The corrupt Trump, Orbán, Aliyev, Erdogan, Netanyahu, El-Sisi, and the rest will control the money. Can you imagine that? 🙄
Marco Rubio just flew to Budapest to deliver a speech in which he provided a full endorsement of Viktor Orbán in the upcoming Hungarian elections.
Here is the letter he signed in 2019 warning about Hungary's "downward democratic trajectory" under Orbán
h/t Carrick Ryan
