The tender for one of the most important parts of the Paks nuclear power plant was published. It concerns the control system responsible for its safe operation. According to Direkt36 this caused a big conflict between the Hungarian and Russian parties.

The International Investment Bank, which is about to move its headquarters to Hungary, has been in close contact with VTB, Russia’s second largest bank.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.