Explosives found near Serbia gas pipeline ahead of Hungary vote

Powerful explosives were discovered near a key gas pipeline in northern Serbia that supplies Russian gas to Hungary, Serbian and Hungarian officials said on April 5, raising concerns about energy security a week before Hungary’s parliamentary election.

Serbia’s defence ministry said a large quantity of explosives, along with equipment for their preparation and use, was found close to gas infrastructure linking the two countries.

President Aleksandar Vucic said two backpacks containing “large packages of explosives” were located a few hundred metres from the Balkan Stream pipeline near the town of Kanjiža, close to the Hungarian border.

“Our units found an explosive of devastating power,” Vucic said in an Instagram post, adding that millions of people could have been cut off from gas supplies had the devices detonated.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he had been informed of the discovery and convened an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council.

The Balkan Stream pipeline is an extension of the TurkStream pipeline route, which carries Russian gas under the Black Sea to Turkey and onward to southeast Europe, including Serbia and Hungary. Both countries remain heavily reliant on Russian gas supplies.

The discovery comes days before Hungary’s parliamentary election on April 12, in which Orban is seeking to extend his more than 16 years in power. His ruling Fidesz party has been trailing the opposition Tisza party in opinion polls.

Serbia’s Military Security Agency said intelligence had indicated a potential attempt to sabotage gas infrastructure. Its director, Đuro Jovanić, told a press conference that the explosives were professionally packaged and that a suspect from a group of migrants would be detained. He added that markings suggested the explosives were manufactured in the United States, though he cautioned that this did not indicate responsibility.

The incident adds to tensions surrounding energy infrastructure in the region. The Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, has been at the centre of a dispute between Budapest and Kyiv after being damaged earlier this year.

Ukraine denied any involvement in the alleged plot. Foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi rejected what he described as attempts to link Kyiv to the incident and suggested it could be a “false-flag” operation aimed at influencing Hungarian domestic politics.

Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar accused Orban of “panic-mongering”, while some opposition voices have raised the possibility of a staged incident designed to influence voters or justify emergency measures.

Vucic, a close ally of Orban, said Serbia would continue investigating the case and keep Hungarian authorities informed.