According to Lazar’s June 23 testimony to the Hungarian parliament on reorganization of civilian intelligence gathering agency, Hungarian spies have been active in Kyiv, just like the spies of other Hungary's regional neighbors, to ensure that political leaders are able to promote the country's interests, The Budapest Beacon reports.
He cited the Russian-Ukrainian conflict as a primary example of radical changes to security in the region over the past year. Hungary shares borders with a country engaged in an armed conflict.
Lazar also stated that the government and the Information Office are convinced that the future of Hungarians living in the Transcarpathia (southwestern Ukrainian region of Zakarpattia) will be a serious issue in the coming decade, and that the Information Office is carrying out operations to protect Hungarian citizens in the Carpathian Basin.
These operations are the first in twenty-five years in which the Hungarian government is openly undertaking activities in Ukraine in total opposition to the wishes of the Ukrainian government. Ukraine’s foreign ministry is doing what it can to stop Hungary’s spies and Hungarian diplomats from undertaking operations in Ukraine, Lazar said.
