The decision was announced on Tuesday, September 8, by Hungary's Foreign Minister Anita Orbán. According to her, the Russian ambassador was officially informed that the Hungarian authorities consider the activities of ten staff members of the Russian mission to be 'unacceptable for diplomats' in accordance with the Vienna Convention. What exactly the expelled staff members were doing has not yet been disclosed by the Hungarian authorities. No specific accusations against them have been made public. Anita Orbán emphasized that the decision was made to protect the 'security and sovereignty of Hungary.' At the same time, Budapest does not intend to sever diplomatic relations with Moscow and aims to maintain necessary dialogue. For Hungary, the scale of the current expulsion is unprecedented. According to the Hungarian publication Telex, the country has never before sent home such a number of Russian diplomats at once. The decision also indicates a significant change in relations between Budapest and Moscow after a change of power in Hungary. Under the previous Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the country was considered one of the most friendly towards Russia within the European Union. The new government of Péter Madlár has noticeably altered the foreign policy course. Moscow has already stated that the expulsion will not go unanswered. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that the response would be 'harsh and painful.' What specific measures Russia intends to take against Hungary has not yet been reported.
