Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, a close ally of Orbán, said on Sunday that authorities had found explosives of destructive force near a gas pipeline transporting Russian gas from Serbia to neighboring Hungary, a week before Hungary's general elections on April 12.
On Sunday, following an emergency meeting of the National Defense Council, Orbán stated that Serbian authorities had uncovered a sabotage operation in Vojvodina and seemingly linked it to Ukraine, which, according to him, has been working for years to separate Europe from Russian energy sources and posed a direct threat to Hungary, though he did not formally accuse Kyiv.
In addition to these statements, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also spoke out, suggesting there are "signs of Ukrainian involvement" in this incident.
However, the director of Belgrade's Military Security Agency (VBA), Đuro Jovanić, said it was not true that Ukrainians had attempted to organize this plan, which involved specially packaged, hermetically sealed explosives with detonator capsules.
"The manufacturer of the explosives does not mean they ordered or carried out the act," he said, adding that markings on the explosives indicate they were produced in the United States.
Orbán's claims of sabotage have also been met with skepticism by his main opponent in Sunday's elections, Péter Magyar, who is seeking to oust the pro-Russian prime minister.
Magyar said that Orbán, who has placed Hungary's energy security and bitter dispute with Kyiv at the center of his campaign, is potentially conducting a false flag operation with the help of Serbian and Russian actors due to declining support for Fidesz.
"If Viktor Orbán and his propaganda use this provocation for campaign purposes, it will be an open admission that this is a pre-planned false flag operation," Magyar added.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically rejected any responsibility and condemned attempts, as stated, to falsely link Ukraine to the incident, adding that the alleged plan is most likely a Russian false flag operation ahead of the elections.