Nothing can stop the relocation of International Investment Bank, a former Soviet bank that was revived by Russian president Vladimir Putin a few years ago, to Budapest. Meanwhile, Hungary appoints a new director who has been accused of working for the Communist secret service.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Russian connection
Russian-led bank rapidly gearing up in Budapest amid EU and U.S. worries
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.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading
Lord of War in Budapest: The DEA busted two Russian arms dealers and Hungary extradited them to Moscow
The extradition controversy further increased the tension between the United States and the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Continue reading
Moneyman of Syria’s president received Hungarian residence permit through Russia
Atiya Khoury, who is on the US sanction list, used an address in South Moscow to apply for residence permit through Hungary’s controversial Golden Visa Program. His application was handled by a company with ties to Viktor Orbán’s advisor.
Continue reading
Russia and Hungary seemed to clash over the Skripal poisoning. In the background, it was a different story
The expulsions of diplomats after the Skripal poisoning were carefully arranged in a way not to endanger the special relationship between Moscow and Budapest. Documents and interviews show that both countries made efforts not to cause real damage to one another.
Continue reading
People close to Viktor Orbán’s top advisor were involved in controversial golden visa program, confidential documents show
Documents obtained by Direkt36 prove that a Georgian-Israeli businessman close to Árpád Habony was involved in the operations of VolDan, the company that sold Hungarian residency bonds in Russia.
Continue reading
A Hungarian company came under Russian influence. Now it could receive another contract in Hungary’s nuclear project
The car rental company that is likely to be contracted by Rosatom is under the influence of a Russian bank. One of the company’s owners previously held high in a gas trading company with ties to Russia.
Continue reading
The business partner of Lorinc Meszaros is bidding for two valueable Paks 2 tenders
This is the first time that government-close business circles have appeared as bidders in Paks2-related tenders.
Continue reading
Members of Putin’s state machine received Hungarian residence permits through controversial Golden Visa program
A joint investigation of Direkt36, 444 and Novaya Gazeta about Russian parliamentary members, executives of state-owned companies, the family of the chief of Russian foreign intelligence service and a businessman reportedly linked to organised crime.
Continue reading
Viktor Orban’s government has become an enthusiastic partner in Russia’s financial expansion
Vladimir Putin resurrected the International Investment Bank a few years ago to increase Russia’s influence in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary has become one of the most active investors of the financial institution.
Continue reading
A well-connected lawyer wins contract in Hungary’s gigantic nuclear project
Tamas Perenyei was a state secretary during the first Orban-government and he maintains friendly relations with OTP-leader Sandor Csanyi. Last year, he bought a company which now signed a contract with Rosatom.
Continue reading
The U.S. is so fed up with Hungary’s passport fraud problem that it’s threatening to kick the country out of its visa waiver program
Viktor Orban and Donald Trump might be kindred spirits but there is a serious conflict between their governments over national security threats, a joint story by Direkt36 and The Washington Post has revealed.
Continue reading
How we teamed up with The Washington Post to expose a secret conflict between the U.S. and Hungary
A few weeks ago we reached out to The Washington Post and told them that we are working on a story that might be of interest for them as well. It turned out that it did.
Continue reading
How Viktor Orban’s government is favoring the Russians over a Hungarian company in a big business deal
Ganz won the tender with the backing of a state-owned Hungarian bank, but the deal fell through when the Hungarian government decided to redirect the loan to a group with Russian participation instead.
Continue reading
How we started our investigation into the Hungarian-Russian relationship
Our article about Klaus Mangold was our first Russian-related story. We received information from government officials and a foreign source who examined Mangold’s activities on behalf of other investors.
Continue reading