Reuters. Hungary expelled 10 Russian diplomats on Tuesday (September 8), saying they had acted in ways incompatible with their diplomatic status, in a stark reminder that the pro-Russian era of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban is over.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would retaliate and its response would be painful for Hungary, Interfax news agency reported.
"(Those expelled) were engaged in activities in Hungary that are unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention," Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban, who is not related to the former prime minister, said in an emailed statement.
Orban, who lost power in Hungary in April after 16 years in office, had kept close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin even after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Under him, Hungary continued buying Russian oil and gas, held up European Union sanctions on Russia and blocked a 90 billion-euro ($97 billion) EU loan to Ukraine.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, many European countries expelled dozens of Russian diplomats, while Hungary expelled none. Until Tuesday, it had not sent any home publicly since 2018.
