The Kremlin has launched a media campaign aimed at helping Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party win the parliamentary elections in April 2026. He writes The Financial Times cited sources familiar with the situation and a draft of a media campaign.
According to the Financial Times, the Russian presidential administration has approved a plan that will improve the ratings of the Fidesz party. It was developed by the Social Design Agency (SDA), a company linked to Russian authorities subject to Western sanctions.
The company proposes promoting Orban’s image on social networks as a “strong leader with friends all over the world” and describing him as the only candidate capable of preserving Hungarian sovereignty. His main rival, the leader of the opposition TISA party, Peter Magyar, is suggested to be called a “puppet of Brussels with no outside support”. The plan includes “information attacks” against Hungarians; His party should be presented as “a plaything in the hands of the European Union.”
Realizing that open Russian aid could backfire on Orban, the Social Design Agency, according to the Financial Times, did not enter into direct contact with Hungarian officials, but developed a plan to establish contacts with influential local figures.
The Financial Times notes that the number of anti-Ukrainian posts on Hungarian social networks has risen sharply in recent weeks. Thus, a Facebook post by the Hungarian newspaper “Repost” linked to Orban’s party sparked more than 100,000 interactions. It posted AI-generated photos with Ukrainian collectors detained in Budapest with cash and gold. The post received mostly reactions from foreign users, which is quite unusual for Hungarian media, writes the Financial Times.
The Russian Ambassador to Budapest, Yevgeny Stanislavov, said that Moscow is not participating in any way in the election campaign in Hungary. According to him, Russia only wants to “ensure the continuation of normal bilateral relations and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation.” The Hungarian government denies any Russian interference. Russian President’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov described the information published by the Financial Times as “fake.”