Kremlin braces for Orbán loss as Hungary election threatens Putin ally
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 28, 2025. (Photo: Alexander Nemenov/Pool via REUTERS)
The Kremlin is preparing for the possibility that Hungarian
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party could lose Sunday’s parliamentary
election, Russian outlet Meduza
reported on April 10, citing two sources close to the political bloc of
Russia’s presidential administration.
The vote could end Orbán’s 16-year hold on power and deal a
blow to one of the Kremlin’s closest allies in the European Union.
One source told Meduza that Kremlin-linked officials
initially hoped Orbán and his strategists could recover and win the party-list
vote. Later, a narrower path to victory — driven by single-member districts —
came to be seen as good enough.
“Now [in the Kremlin] they admit that may not happen
either,” the source said.
A source and a political strategist who works with the
Kremlin told the outlet that if Fidesz loses, Russian state-controlled media
will present the result as a “color revolution” orchestrated by the European
Union.
At the same time, Putin is expected to blame Orbán and his
team for the defeat.
“Even with our support, they couldn’t do anything,” one
source said.
Another source told Meduza that Russia’s presidential
administration is not directly running Orbán’s campaign, but is providing
“assistance” with its social media effort.
The election, scheduled for April 12, could bring Hungary’s
first change of government in 16 years. Opinion polls suggest the opposition
Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, could win a two-thirds majority in
parliament.
Reuters reported on April 1, citing several surveys, that
Tisza had widened its lead over the ruling Fidesz party ahead of the vote.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Budapest on April 7 and
voiced support for Orbán, calling him “the best player” in diplomacy.
Trump has also publicly backed Orbán. During a phone call
with Vance in Budapest, the U.S. president said he was “a big fan” of the
Hungarian prime minister.
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