Orbán accuses Ukraine of aiming to disrupt energy supplies to Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Wednesday ordered strengthened military and police protection for the country's energy infrastructure, accusing Ukraine of planning to disrupt energy supplies to his country.

Orbán announced the move in a video message on Facebook following a meeting of the Hungarian Defence Council, which includes military and intelligence service representatives.

In addition, a ban on drone flights near the shared border with Ukraine in Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County was imposed.

"I see that Ukraine is preparing further actions to disrupt the operations of Hungary's energy system. For that reason, I have instructed that the defence of critical energy infrastructure is enhanced," Orbán said.

More soldiers and police officers would ensure protection against attacks, he said without providing numbers.

Hungary accuses Ukraine of blocking transport of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline and is refusing to back EU decisions in support of Ukraine until operations are resumed. This includes further EU sanctions on Russia.

Flow through the Druzhba pipeline, which provides Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary, was interrupted at the end of last month as a result of Russian attacks.

Orbán insisted that there were no technical reasons for the interruption. His government has stated repeatedly that the pipeline is intact and that Kiev is blocking the flow to put pressure on Hungary.

The Hungarian prime minister maintains good relations with Moscow and has since the start of the all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago sought to put a brake on EU policies aimed at supporting Ukraine.