Hungarian drones breach Ukraine's airspace, Zelensky says
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include reactions from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and the Hungarian Defense and Interior Ministries.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 26 that reconnaissance drones likely belonging to Hungary had violated Ukraine's airspace along the border.
This is the first such reported incident.
In a statement posted on X, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces recorded drone incursions over border areas and that preliminary assessments suggest the unmanned aircraft were "conducting reconnaissance on the industrial potential of Ukraine's border areas."
"I instructed that all available information be verified and that urgent reports be made on each recorded incident," Zelensky said.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto dismissed Zelensky's remarks, writing on X that "President Zelensky is losing his mind to his anti-Hungarian obsession. He's now starting to see things that aren't there."
"We are starting to see a lot of things, Peter, including your government's hypocrisy and moral degradation, open and covert work against Ukraine and the rest of Europe, serving as a Kremlin lackey," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded.
The Hungarian Defense Ministry also rejected the allegations. Responding to a request for comments from the outlet Telex, the ministry said: "The Hungarian Defense Forces did not carry out the drone flight that allegedly took place on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, which was reported in the press, and did not receive any instructions to do so. We have not received any information from the Ukrainian side regarding such an incident, although we are in constant contact with them."
Hungary's Interior Ministry also noted that military exercises are currently ongoing in the country until mid-October, and that "NATO allies, but also the Ukrainian side will be continuously informed about the exercise."
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shared images of the drones' route on Facebook, showing that the aircraft had crossed Ukraine's border twice from the direction of Hungary.
In his briefing, Zelensky also said Ukraine's military downed a Russian Su-34 jet over Zaporizhzhia and reported progress in the Dobropillia counteroffensive in Donetsk Oblast, claiming the liberation of nearly 169 square kilometers (65 square miles) of territory and heavy Russian personnel losses.
The claim over Hungarian drones comes amid heightened security concerns along NATO's eastern flank, where Russian drones have previously crossed into Romania and Poland, triggering a NATO response in the latter.
Hungary and Slovakia were not invited to a Sept. 26 high-level video conference on building a "drone wall" along the EU's eastern border, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Suspilne on Sept. 22.
Hungary and Slovakia, both of which have maintained closer ties with Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, have frequently resisted tougher EU measures against Moscow.
