Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign was nearly destroyed by a smear campaign coordinated at the highest levels of political, intelligence, and media circles which claimed he was colluding with Russia. The subsequent investigation cleared Trump’s name and proved it was all just a hoax, yet he still had to fight the baseless accusations for much of his first term.
We see the same pattern, the same narrative being spread right now in Hungary. It started with journalist Szabolcs Panyi—a figure known to be connected with Soros-funded NGO networks and working for publications formerly financed by USAID—claiming that Russian intelligence agents had come to Hungary weeks ago to influence public perception on behalf of Fidesz. Panyi’s article lacked any evidence, yet the opposition parties and media immediately picked it up as proof of Russian interference, and have been using it as a centerpiece in their campaign ever since.
It is clear from the beginning that Hungary’s “Russia hoax” is just as much of a coordinated disinformation campaign as the one in the U.S. was. It is meant not only to help boost the opposition’s chances, but also to delegitimize the results in case Fidesz wins. And, of course, to divert attention from the opposition’s own election interference scandals: the obvious collusion between the Tisza Party and both the Ukrainian government and the European Commission.