This is the most important day in Europe right now

[Dr Strangelove]

Isn’t it just magnificent?

With the snap of a finger, the moment he lost the election, Orban instantly became completely unnecessary to his former "friends."

Trump didn’t say a single word about the crushing defeat of his favorite whom he and his administration had been effectively campaigning for just days earlier and ignored all questions from journalists.

In the Kremlin, it’s even better: they pivoted in mid-air in an instant, and suddenly Orban was never really their friend. And Hungary, it turns out, had "always been unfriendly" all along.

He’s no longer needed, and off he goes to the scrap heap.

[Dr Strangelove]

[Dr Strangelove]

I suspect there are quite a few politicians sitting in various corners of Europe and North America who are rather anxious these days about the prospect of information emerging in the coming weeks and months regarding how they received funds, channelled through the Hungarian government and Hungarian state-financed organisations, to conduct subversive political activities in their home countries.

And yes, Orbán himself has in all likelihood received a substantial portion of this money directly from Russia — primarily through Gazprom.

The evidence for the broader Kremlin-Hungary nexus has grown dramatically in recent weeks. A major consortium of investigative journalists published transcripts of phone calls between Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian officials, strongly suggesting that Budapest functioned as a fifth column within the EU with Szijjártó allegedly coordinating with Moscow to undermine sanctions and sharing intelligence on Ukraine's EU accession process.

Szijjártó himself visited Moscow no fewer than 16 times following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The financial architecture underpinning this relationship is also becoming clearer. Investigative reporting has traced Orbán-linked financial forces specifically connected to Hungarian state-affiliated banks to the financing of far-right parties elsewhere in Europe, including Marine Le Pen's campaign in France and Spain's Vox party.

The money trail does not appear to run directly from Gazprom to Orbán to foreign parties, but rather through a layered system of Hungarian state intermediaries.

The deeper Russian connection comes via energy deals: between 2011 and 2015, Hungarian gas purchases were routed through an opaque intermediary company, MET International, with both Russian and Hungarian ownership and documented ties to Putin's inner circle and Orbán's government.

This brings us to CPAC Hungary. Magyar has now confirmed publicly what many suspected: CPAC was paid for by the Hungarian state. In his words, "the state should never have financed them in the first place — it was a crime."

The same applies to related institutions such as the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, which served as a key vehicle for spreading Orbán's ideological influence across Europe and beyond.

I am not suggesting that every politician who attended CPAC Hungary knowingly received Russian-linked funds.

But the financing chain is now confirmed — Hungarian taxpayers' money, quite possibly supplemented by Russian energy revenues, was used to host and cultivate a global network of like-minded politicians.

If I were a journalist in any country whose politicians attended those events, that would seem a rather pressing line of inquiry.

The urgency of that inquiry is underscored by what is reportedly happening right now. According to Magyar's international press conference, Szijjártó has barricaded himself with close colleagues and is actively destroying and shredding documents specifically evidence relating to sanctions against Russia.

If accurate, this is not the behaviour of an innocent man. It is the behaviour of someone who knows exactly what those documents contain and who those documents implicate.

One hopes the new Hungarian government moves fast enough to secure what remains.

[Dr Strangelove]

This is Orbán’s ‘LA PIOVRA’ ecosystem. Bear with me.

The pipeline begins with the Hungarian taxpayer. The Hungarian government allocates massive sums of money from the state budget directly to the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office (headed by Antal Rogán, who oversees government communications and messaging).

Rather than funding international media or think tanks directly (which would be highly transparent and subject to standard state audits), the Cabinet Office transfers these public funds to a middle-man entity: the Batthyány Lajos Foundation (BLA). 

The legal loophole: In 2021, the Orbán government elevated the BLA to a special legal status known as a "Public Interest Asset Management Trust" (KEKVA). Under Hungarian law, this status allows the foundation to "perform a public function independently of any government." Consequently, the state can endow it with massive amounts of public money, such as €23 million in 2023 and over €27 million in 2024, while shielding the subsequent distribution of those funds from traditional public scrutiny. 

Once the public funds are inside the BLA, they are no longer legally classified as standard "public money" in the same way, but rather as the foundation's independent assets. The BLA acts as a grant-making body, distributing millions of euros to a highly curated network of pro-Fidesz think tanks, institutes, and publications. Notable recipients alongside The European Conservative include the Center for Fundamental Rights (which organizes CPAC Hungary) and the Danube Institute. 

The corporate entity that publishes the magazine, European Conservative Nkft., applies for and receives operational grants directly from the BLA. Because of the foundation's structure, the magazine's operations are heavily, if not entirely, subsidized by the initial state funds. 

Investigative reporting utilizing public interest data requests revealed that European Conservative Nkft. received a direct grant of €1.8 million from the BLA specifically to cover its 2024 operational costs. 

english.atlatszo.hu/2024/05/30/cpa…

[Dr Strangelove]

The state will not finance these things, neither the event called CPAC nor other related institutions such as the Mathias Corvinus Collegium and similar attached bodies. I believe the state should never have financed them in the first place, it was a crime. Mixing party financing with government spending from the state budget is, in my view, a criminal offense, and this will have to be investigated by the future authorities, including the National Office for the Recovery and Protection of Public Assets, since those budgetary funds were not meant to finance party events.

CPAC is welcome to come to Budapest, very welcome, but it should not be financed with Hungarian taxpayers’ money. It should be funded by Fidesz, or by Orbán’s proxies, at least until that money is taken back.

[Dr Strangelove]

Neither Trump nor anyone else in the US administration has extended congratulations to Péter Magyar for his victory. Russia has rebuffed it yesterday.

On the other hand, China acted, differently. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at a regular press briefing in Beijing that China extends congratulations to the Tisza party led by Peter Magyar on winning the elections.

[Dr Strangelove]

[Dr Strangelove]

[Dr Strangelove]

Who will become Putin’s new “mouse” in Europe?

With Orbán gone, the Kremlin’s position in the EU has been shaken.

According to The Telegraph, the main candidate for the role of a new “Putin’s mouse” is Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. He also criticizes the EU, opposes aid to Ukraine, and maintains contacts with Russia — but lacks the same level of personal ties with Putin.

Another possible figure is Czech politician Andrej Babiš. He has also opposed some EU decisions on Ukraine and echoed Russian narratives, but tries to keep his distance and does not break ties with NATO and the EU.

Bulgaria is also mentioned among potential sympathizers, where pro-Russian forces could gain influence. However, the country is too dependent on EU funding to become a new “center of resistance.”

Key elections are ahead in France and Germany. But even there, right-wing populist politicians once seen as close to the Kremlin are beginning to distance themselves.

Russia is left not with allies, but with situational partners — and even they act with an eye on Brussels.

[Dr Strangelove]

New Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar appeared as a guest on state television M1 for the first time and made shocking statements:

-We will suspend this channel's news service. This isn't about me; I'm not seeking revenge. Our people deserve journalism that reflects the truth.

-We will nationalize the assets given to businesspeople and foundations during the Orbán era.

-The Mathias Corvinus Collegium Foundation, close to Orbán, was transferred 10% of MOL (oil company) and Gedeon Richter (pharmaceutical company) for free. We will take back these shares.

-After 16 years of the Orbán era, 400,000 Hungarian children in this country are living in deep poverty.

-President Sulyok is no longer the president of this country in my eyes or in the eyes of the people.

-(In response to the host asking about his meeting with Zelensky as a counterpoint) I get your joke, and I even like it. But your references no longer carry any meaning.

-According to you, Germany has collapsed, there's no internet there, people aren't even having sex. The Hungarian people were laughing at you.

-It was said on this channel that even my young children won't talk to me, when in fact my children live with me.

-(When the host interrupted him) No host in this studio ever dared to interrupt Hungary's most corrupt and most lying prime minister.

-(When asked about the legal basis for closing the news service) For someone on this channel to accuse me of breaking the law looks like a thief accusing the police.