VSquare: Russian spy working under diplomatic cover quietly expelled from Hungary after election

Hungary quietly expelled a Russian intelligence officer, Artur Sushkov and his wife after the Constitution Protection Office (Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal or AH) discovered that he had for years been gathering information about pro-government institutions while working under diplomatic cover at the Russian Embassy in Budapest, according to VSquare.

According to the paper’s government sources, Hungarian counterintelligence had already recommended Sushkov’s expulsion in February, but the Orbán government blocked the move.

Artur Sushkov, 36, was stationed in the country as the third secretary at the Russian Embassy in Budapest. According to VSquare, Sushkov’s activities focused on organizations overseen by Balázs Orbán, the outgoing Prime Minister’s political director and the head of Fidesz’s election campaign. These included the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (Magyar Külügyi Intézet-MKI), and the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics at the Ludovika University of Public Service.

Sushkov first stayed in Hungary from 2019 to 2022, before returning in February 2023, this time with his wife. It was then that he was promoted to third secretary at the Russian Embassy. His wife officially worked at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to VSquare’s sources, Sushkov attracted attention by seeking to arrange private meetings with individuals associated with MCC and MKI who were believed to have close ties to the Orbán government. In response to an inquiry from VSquare, MCC wrote that neither Sushkov nor other Russian diplomats had been officially invited to their events; but added that, anyone was free to attend their open events, many of which do not require registration.

Through his connections, Sushkov may have gained access to information from the MKI, Hungary’s leading foreign policy think tank, which falls under the Office of the Prime Minister. Sushkov also made contact with individuals who had insight into the internal operations of the John Lukacs Institute. The institute told the newspaper that neither Sushkov nor any other Russian diplomat had been invited to their closed or public events, that he is not on their list of registered guests, and that they have no knowledge of Sushkov having attended any of their events. The institute added that its researchers undergo security training and have always notified the relevant authorities whenever they came into contact with diplomats whose behavior they deemed suspicious.

According to one of the paper’s sources with insight into the Russian agent’s activities, Sushkov attempted to recruit at least three people, one of whom he had already started training. He was interested in everything, from gossip about government officials to political decisions on foreign and domestic policy. He may have also been able to gather information on developments in the Hungarian election campaign and Hungary’s relationship with Ukraine.

The AH investigated Sushkov in collaboration with the intelligence service of an unspecified NATO member state. According to the paper, the government had also considered deporting him, but in the end decided against it during the campaign due to the political sensitivity of the matter. They were only able to move forward with expelling him after Fidesz’s election defeat; according to VSquare’s sources, Sushkov and his wife were given two weeks to pack their bags, and they finally left the country on May 4.

We have contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Russian Embassy in Budapest in connection with Sushkov’s expulsion and will report back as soon as we receive a response.