How we did our investigation into a story about two Russian arms dealers who were arrested in Hungary as the result of a US-led sting operation, and about how the Hungarian government extradited the two Russians to Moscow, infuriating the Americans.
Continue readingHow we exposed a secret conflict involving Russia, the United States, and Hungary
Magyarországnak ígért milliárdos fejlesztést is érint Trump mexikói határfala
Kell a pénz Trump határfalára, elúszhat a kecskeméti reptér fejlesztése.
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The government closed the foreign trading houses but made an exception with PM Orban’s Turkish friend
Adnan Polat knows the Prime Minister as well as his family members well. The government canceled dozens of contracts last year but his contract remained in effect.
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How I found out that an opposition politician teamed up with the government’s allies
After Viktor Orban’s party won the latest election by another landslide, we looked into the allegations of some opposition politicians secretly working with the allies of the government.
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How we told the inside story of the oligarch who turned against Viktor Orbán
Lajos Simicska and Viktor Orbán were friends and allies for decades. Together they turned Fidesz, now the governing party, into Hungary’s dominant political force.
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Russian arms dealer busted by U.S. agents in Hungary now out of jail after extradition
Vladimir Lyubishin Jr. has been released from prison in February. The U.S. fears that the Russian arms dealers will avoid justice after being extradited to Russia.
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How we exposed some of the deepest secrets of Hungary’s controversial golden visa program
Through a residency bond scheme run by the Hungarian government, several foreigners were granted residency in spite of potentially posing serious security risks for Hungary and the European Union. Blanka Zöldi recalls how we found out about these people.
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Orbán enged az USA-nak, de ő is kiharcolt valamit a katonai megállapodás tervezete szerint
Szabadon mozoghatnak majd a Magyarországon tartózkodó amerikai katonák, és ha törvénysértést követnek el, akkor a legtöbb esetben az amerikai jog vonatkozik majd rájuk. Ez derül ki a magyar-amerikai védelmi megállapodás szövegtervezetéből, amelyet a Direkt36 szerzett meg.
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Paks 2 is facing a risky modification that could favor the Russians
The preliminary ground works could start already before the approval of the overall project plans. This contains serious risks but it would benefit the Russians who have been urging the start of the investment for a long time.
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Logikus volt, hogy Orbán Moszkva felé fordult – Direkt36 podcast 2
Miért ültették alacsony székre az amerikaiak Szijjártó Pétert? Mennyire tehet arról az amerikai kormány, hogy Magyarország távolodni kezdett Washingtontól? És mennyire sikeres az egyszerre harsány és konfliktusos magyar külpolitika. Az amerikai-magyar-orosz viszony a Direkt36 podcastjában.
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Hungary Buying U.S. Missile System to Mend Ties with Trump Administration
Hungary and the U.S. are preparing to conclude several significant military-economic deals, according to Direkt36’s sources. However, the acquisition of a U.S. missile system could complicate Russian-Hungarian relations.
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Since the closure of Hungary’s Golden Visa Program, more foreigners receive residence permits for unclear purposes
In the past two years, over 9 thousand foreigners received residence permits for “other purposes”. Most of them came from Iran, China, the United States and Russia. Hungary’s Immigration Office Claims that that it does not have any statistical data about why exactly the applicants of such permits wish to reside in Hungary.
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Diplomatic Cable Reveals U.S. Frustrated with Orban’s Hungary
This official document offers an in-depth glimpse into U.S.-Hungarian relations. State Department has stopped calling out Orban for Hungary’s democratic decline but gets little in return. Orban’s statement on Hungary’s neutrality is also mentioned.
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Egész éjszaka a Viktorral veszekedtünk – Direkt36 podcast 1
Mi tanult Orbán Viktor Simicska Lajostól? Igazak-e a Simicska zsenialitásáról szóló történetek? Érdekességek és eddig nem hallott háttérinformációk az Orbán-Simicska viszonyról a Direkt36 első podcastjában.
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Inside the fall of the oligarch who turned against Viktor Orbán
Lajos Simicska failed to craft a winning strategy and came under intense pressure from Orbán’s political machine. At the end of his campaign the oligarch even thought that his life was in danger and even purchased radiation detectors.
Continue readingItt a hét legérdekesebb rész a Simicska bukását bemutató cikkünkből
A 2014-es ajánlat Orbánnak, a félelem a sugárveszélytől, és az állítólagos videóvallomás. Kigyűjtöttük az eredeti hosszú cikk legfontosabb és legérdekesebb részleteit.
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Elegant flat beside the Danube and Romanian lands remained invisible in Hungarian legislator’s asset declaration
Erik Bánki said that he currently “halfway” lives in the elegant Roman Wellness Home gated community, although there is no sign of this in his asset declarations. He did not declare the flat and over 100 hectares of land in Romania because they were owned by his companies, not by him personally.
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Russian diplomats caught spying in Hungary get expelled quietly as usual
Russian intelligence organizes some of their Balkans operations from Hungary, but despite close Russian-Hungarian relations they can not always avoid retaliation. In 2016, the Military National Security Service exposed a GRU officer. Although Hungary’s government never informed the public, approximately ten Russian spies have been busted since 2010.
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Paks 2: This is what it looks like when influential people are positioning themselves around the project
An association with relations across the political spectrum appeared around Paks 2 last year. It wanted to act as an intermediary during the nuclear power plant expansion, and even though influential people also showed up within the association, it failed to deliver on its plans in the end.
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Failed Bioethanol Project in Romania Leaves Unanswered Questions for Hungarian Legislator
Erik Bánki, a senior member of Hungary’s governing Fidesz party owns a lot of land in Hungary, but now we have also found his lands in Romania. He bought them for a huge bioethanol project, but it is unclear how he financed the purchases. According to him, various companies gave him loans, but he doesn’t remember their names.
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