Szabolcs Panyi

In the 2010s, Hungarian intelligence began spying in Brussels against the EU and tried to recruit Hungarians working in EU institutions for this purpose. However, Hungarian intelligence carried it out so blatantly and clumsily that they were exposed, and their network collapsed — as uncovered by Direkt36 in cooperation with Belgian and German partners. A 2010-es években a magyar hírszerzés elkezdett kémkedni Brüsszelben az EU ellen, és ehhez uniós intézményeknél dolgozó magyarokat próbált beszer

According to her own account, former head of state Katalin Novák has had a "hellish year and a half" since her resignation—but she could at least take comfort in the wardrobe she amassed during her presidency. Data obtained by Direkt36 shows that Novák kept most of the clothing free of charge after stepping down, while she purchased a smaller portion from her former office at prices well below their original value.

The “James Bond-like” Russian Duma politician Leonid Slutsky arranged the Moscow visit of David Lindtner, a close ally to and advisor of Robert Fico.

A German-Hungarian pro-Orbán media figure who frequently appears in government-aligned outlets and once ran as a Fidesz candidate, Georg Spöttle, is now at the center of a national security controversy.

Georg Spöttle, a regular presence in pro-Orbán media, has come under scrutiny after one of his close acquaintances failed a background check—triggered by concerns over Spöttle’s Russian connections. Information obtained by Direkt36 reveals that Spöttle had a close relationship with an officer from the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. A kormányközeli médiában gyakran szereplő Georg Spöttlének egyik közeli ismerőse akadt fenn egy átvilágításon a propagandista orosz kapcsolatai miatt. A

The Prime Minister traveled to Riyadh in October 2022 with a small entourage. According to Direkt36, even within the government only a few people knew about the trip, the purpose of which is still not entirely clear.

During Hungary’s EU presidency, Viktor Orbán’s government pushed visiting delegations to stay at Hotel Dorothea, a luxury hotel owned by the prime minister’s son-in-law.

A newly released public opinion survey offers a revealing snapshot of geopolitical attitudes across the Visegrád Four (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland).

Direkt36 has obtained new evidence of how the Hungarian state is directing foreign diplomatic delegations to Hotel Dorothea, one of the hotels owned by the Prime Minister's son-in-law, István Tiborcz.

A lot of money has been lost from the Hungarian National Bank's foundation as a result of bad decisions, but the people around former governor of the central bank György Matolcsy's son have still benefited. Direkt36 has obtained a draft report from

The Trump administration's most influential think tank, The Heritage Foundation, is receiving proposals from illiberal forces in Poland and Hungary on how to shape the future of the European Union. The proposals, obtained by VSquare, include dismantling key EU institutions and renaming the entire bloc.

After a Budapest meeting between Viktor Orbán, Aleksandar Vučić, and Milorad Dodik, Orbán’s chief bodyguard was tasked with deploying a large contingent of counter-terrorism police to Banja Luka in case they needed to help Dodik escape arrest by a Bosnian court, a VSquare investigation has found.

No Hungarian media outlet, journalist, or individual was named in the intelligence report, which Orbán’s propaganda machine used to falsely accuse Direkt36 and other independent media of being paid and participating in a Ukrainian intelligence campaign aimed at "smearing" Viktor Orbán.

Hungary's government is anticipating Jared Kushner’s future involvement in a controversial €12.3 billion "mini-Dubai" real estate project in Budapest, led by Emirati billionaire Mohammed Alabbar. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has long aligned himself with Donald Trump, announced the contract with Alabbar's company on the day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

The U.S. has sanctioned Antal Rogán, Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, under the Global Magnitsky Act for corruption, warning that associates with financial ties to Rogán may also face consequences. Meanwhile, Hungarian propaganda, overseen by Rogán, enlisted MAGA activist Bryan E. Leib in a sanctions defense effort, raising potential FARA compliance issues.

For Viktor Orbán, the basis for granting asylum to fugitive Polish politician Marcin Romanowski was a mere four-page pamphlet. We have found this document: it has no author but heavily cites a platform run by the Polish ultra-conservative Ordo Iuris Institute.

A high-ranking former Law and Justice (PiS) government official specializing in energy has registered as a lobbyist in Brussels. She works, among others, for Hungary's MOL, VSquare and FRONTSTORY have found.

EU anti-fraud investigators probing the company of Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law were surveilled by Hungary’s foreign intelligence agency, which even created an entire department to spy on EU institutions. However, sensitive political information gathered by Hungarian intelligence sparked political and intelligence infighting.

Direkt36 has revealed that during János Lázár's administration, the Information Office was monitoring OLAF staff investigating suspicious projects linked to the son-in-law of Viktor Orbán. They tried to find these documents when people from other services invaded the office's headquarters in the summer of 2018.

Foreign reporters on covering the Americanest election imaginable.