{"id":47547,"date":"2026-04-11T10:37:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47547"},"modified":"2026-04-11T10:37:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:37:39","slug":"explosives-found-near-pipeline-in-serbia-probably-russian-provocation-says-expert-hungary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47547","title":{"rendered":"Explosives found near pipeline in Serbia probably \u2018Russian provocation\u2019, says expert | Hungary"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The amount of explosives discovered in Serbia last week would not have been enough to destroy the Balkan Stream gas pipeline, prompting an expert to conclude it was probably a Russian intelligence plot aimed at influencing Hungary\u2019s impending election.<\/p>\n

A former Ukrainian major general and a munitions specialist told the Guardian calculations made by his company showed the 4kg of explosives<\/a> recovered by Serbia\u2019s military security agency in Kanji\u017ea could not have seriously ruptured the pipe.<\/p>\n

Experts from his firm, Andromeda, analysed the steel and polypropylene connection, which carries Russian gas to Hungary, passing through Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia, and calculated the amount of explosive they believed to cause serious damage.<\/p>\n

To succeed, a significantly greater amount would have been required, Mykola Zentsev said, supplying an estimate in private. \u201cFour kilograms is not sufficient to put the gas pipeline to a standstill,\u201d said Zentsev.<\/p>\n

Even if optimally placed, 4kg of plastic explosive \u201cwould likely result only in localised damage or limited penetration, which could be repaired within a few days without causing long-term disruption of supply,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>The Hungarian PM, Viktor Orb\u00e1n, second from right, briefing the press at a gas supply station in Kiskundorozsma last week.<\/span> Photograph: Zolt\u00e1n Fischer\/Hungary PM Communication Office\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis does not align with the objective of a classical act of sabotage, which aims to disable infrastructure for weeks or months,\u201d Zentsev concluded, supporting \u201cthe conclusion that the incident was likely a provocation\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Hungary\u2019s prime minister, Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/a>, said he had been informed by Serbia\u2019s president, Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, about the discovery of the explosives<\/a>. Hungary\u2019s foreign minister, P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3, hinted that Ukraine could be responsible in what he described as \u201can attack on our sovereignty\u201d.<\/p>\n

The incident was picked up widely in the media before Hungary\u2019s election on Sunday<\/a> in which the pro-Russian Orb\u00e1n is lagging in the polls and fighting for his political survival.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9ter Magyar, the leader of Hungary\u2019s opposition, accused Orb\u00e1n of \u201cattempting to instil fear in his own people through false-flag operations\u201d and following \u201cthe advice of Russian agents\u201d. Ukraine<\/a> denied being involved, a conclusion endorsed by the chief of Serbia\u2019s military security agency, responsible for the investigation.<\/p>\n

Zentsev argued that, in his opinion, \u201cthe primary beneficiaries are likely the current Hungarian government, which gains an additional political advantage ahead of elections, and Russia, which seeks to use such incidents to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the civilised world\u201d.<\/p>\n

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