Hungary expels 10 Russian diplomats, Moscow promises harsh response

What the report says

Hungary has ordered 10 Russian diplomats to leave the country, saying their activities were “unacceptable” and incompatible with diplomatic status. The move was announced in Budapest on Tuesday by Anita Orban, Hungary’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, who said the decision was meant to protect Hungary’s security and sovereignty. She also said it did not amount to breaking diplomatic relations with Moscow.

Russia responded by warning of a “harsh and painful” reaction, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as cited by the state news agency TASS. The exchange adds to already strained relations between the two countries, which were described in the Al Jazeera report as having been unusually close in earlier years, especially after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The report said Hungary had been one of the few European Union members that maintained warmer ties with Moscow while many other EU states expelled Russian diplomats after the invasion. EU spokesman Christian Wigand said Hungary’s action was a legitimate decision and that the bloc would keep coordinating closely on the issue. The development matters because it shows a sharper shift in Budapest’s position and could further complicate Hungary’s balancing act between the EU and Russia.