Serbian president says explosives found near gas pipeline to Hungary

BUDAPEST/BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the army and police had found two backpacks containing explosives on April 5 near a gas pipeline to Hungary, prompting Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to call an emergency meeting.

Hungary’s opposition leader Peter Magyar however suggested the incident could be a “false flag” operation staged to disrupt April 12’s high-stakes elections in their country.

The backpacks, containing “two large packages of explosives with detonators”, were found in Kanjiza in northern Serbia, “a few hundred metres from the gas pipeline”, Mr Vucic said.

The pipeline, known as Balkan Stream, is an extension of the TurkStream pipeline that carries Russian gas to Serbia and Hungary.

Mr Vucic said he had informed Mr Orban “of the initial results of the investigation by our military and police authorities”.

Mr Orban called the pipeline a piece of “critical gas infrastructure” and said he would gather Hungary’s national defence council for a meeting on the afternoon of April 5.

But his opposition rival Magyar, in a post on X, expressed scepticism about the incident.

“For weeks, we’ve been receiving warnings from multiple sources that... Orban – allegedly with Serbian and Russian assistance – may be planning to cross another line,” he posted on X.

“Many people have suggested that something might ‘accidentally’ happen in Serbia, possibly involving a gas pipeline, around Easter,” he added, calling to be included in the national defence council meeting.

“I also want to make it clear that (Orban) will not be able to prevent next Sunday’s election,” Mr Magyar said.

High-stakes election

Serbian authorities gave no details on possible motives. Mr Vucic said there were “certain traces” he could not immediately discuss.

“Our intelligence services did a good job,” he said.

Mr Vucic said the explosives could have “endangered many lives” and caused significant damage to the pipeline.

Serbia, an EU candidate, is heavily dependent on Russian gas, importing around six million cubic metres per day at about half the market price.

Hungary also relies on imported Russian oil and gas.

In recent weeks, Mr Orban has repeatedly accused the Ukrainian government of intentionally delaying repairs to a separate damaged pipeline through Ukraine, which has choked the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.

Mr Orban has blocked EU approval of a €90 billion (S$133 billion) loan to Ukraine over the pipeline feud.

Hungarian opposition figures and many of Mr Orban’s counterparts in the European Union have accused him of exaggerating the pipeline issue to bolster his electoral campaign, with his party trailing in the polls.

Mr Orban denies the claims. AFP