The European Commission is orchestrating a “dirty smear campaign” against Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in an effort to force it out of Hungary, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has asserted.
The campaign targets Rosatom’s construction of the Paks II nuclear power plant, which is intended to expand Hungary’s existing Soviet-built nuclear facility, the agency said in a statement on Monday.
“[European Commission President] Ursula von der Leyen has directly set before her administration a task to force Peter Magyar’s government to refuse from cooperation with Russia in the sphere of peaceful atom,” according to the SVR.
Magyar’s Tisza party decisively defeated Viktor Orban’s Euroskeptic Fidesz in April, signaling a shift toward closer ties with Brussels. However, despite describing Hungary’s reliance on Russian energy as a “security risk,” the new government has sought an exemption from US sanctions targeting buyers of Russian oil.
The SVR accused Brussels of using Politico Europe as the “mouthpiece” of its campaign, singling out journalist Ben Makuch as its chief instigator. The outlet has published several reports on Rosatom in recent months, alleging labor abuses, negligence and construction delays.
“Eurobureaucrats have openly acknowledged the inability of European manufacturers to compete fairly with Rosatom in the nuclear energy market,” the SVR said, warning that any alternative contractor would make Paks II less efficient and less secure.
The agency further alleged that von der Leyen expects to personally benefit from replacing Rosatom with a Western company, accusing her of a history of lobbying for major corporations and facilitating questionable multibillion-euro contracts.
It cited her handling of the EU’s Covid-19 vaccine procurement deal with Pfizer, which has faced years of scrutiny and remains under investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The SVR also accused what it called the “globalist clique” running the EU of disregarding Hungary’s national interests, warning that Budapest could be pressured into abandoning a reliable source of electricity capable of ensuring its energy security for decades.
Hungary has long relied on Russian nuclear fuel and technical support for its four Soviet-built reactors at Paks, which generate around 40% of the country’s electricity. The two additional reactors planned under Paks II are expected to significantly increase nuclear power generation and reduce the country’s dependence on imported energy.
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