Hungary sacks army chief in latest shake-up
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Opposition parties have referred to the hundreds of soldiers being sacked in 2023 a “purge”, aimed at replacing Western-oriented pro-Nato officers.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BUDAPEST – Hungary’s top army chief was relieved of his post on Thursday without explanation, according to a presidential decree, the latest upheaval in the Nato member’s armed forces in recent months.
Several hundred senior officers and military intelligence officers have reportedly been fired in 2023 as a law adopted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government in January allowed the Defence Minister to sack anyone over the age of 45.
While the government says it wants to rejuvenate the armed forces, opposition parties have called the dismissal of hundreds of soldiers as “purges”, aimed at replacing Western-oriented pro-Nato officers.
“With effect from April 27, I have dismissed Lieutenant-General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, the commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces, from his position,” said a decree signed by President Katalin Novak, in Hungary’s official gazette.
No further details were provided.
Lt-Gen Ruszin-Szendi was Hungary’s youngest-ever commander when appointed at the age of 46 by Ms Novak’s predecessor, Mr Janos Ader, in 2019.
According to a Defence Ministry statement on Thursday, his proposed replacement is Lt- Gn Gabor Borondi, 52, currently Hungary’s military representative to Nato and the European Union (EU).
Lt-Gen Ruszin-Szendi “will continue to serve his country in another field,” said the statement.
The move follows upheaval in senior army ranks in 2023, with the government, which has beefed up defence spending, saying it wants to create “a performance-dependent competitive situation” in the army.
The Atlatszo investigative site on Thursday published a video purportedly showing helicopters bound for neighbouring Ukraine, filmed at Hungary’s Gyor-Per Airport in February.
Earlier in April, United States news outlet Politico said leaked unverified US military intelligence documents
The Defence Ministry has denied the report, repeatedly stating that helicopters intended for Ukraine were not allowed to pass through Hungarian airspace.
Under Mr Orban, who has maintained close economic ties to Russia since the invasion, Hungary has refused to send military aid to Ukraine or even let military equipment transit its territory. AFP
