Hungary has ordered 10 Russian diplomats to leave Budapest, in a sharp break from the pro-Kremlin stance the country held for years under Viktor Orbán. Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said the move protected Hungary's "security and sovereignty" over "unacceptable" activities, though she did not give details. Moscow reacted furiously, warning of a "harsh and painful" response, in what marks a significant deterioration in relations between the two countries.

The expulsions follow a broader shift since Péter Magyar's Tisza party won power in April, ending years of close Hungary-Russia ties built partly around cheap Russian oil and Viktor Orbán's opposition to EU sanctions and Ukraine aid. Magyar's government has since branded Russia's conduct in Ukraine a threat to Hungary and Europe, and pointedly to the Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Transcarpathia region. Reports before April's election alleged that around a third of the 47 Russian embassy staff in Budapest had intelligence links, claims Russia denies. A former Hungarian counter-intelligence chief said the key question now is whether Moscow retaliates in kind, which could effectively shut Hungary's embassy in Russia.