Ukrainian Witness | War in Ukraine | Russia’s SVR proposed staging an assassination attempt on Viktor Orban...

💭🗞 🐵 🇭🇺 🇭🇺 📈  Russia’s SVR proposed staging an assassination attempt on Viktor Orban to boost his election chances, — The Washington Post, citing European intelligence and leaked documents 🟠 💬  The plan, "Gamechanger," was a backup option to "fundamentally shift" the campaign into an emotional, security-focused narrative;🟠 💬  Inspired by the July 2024 attempt on Donald Trump, which boosted his ratings.🟠 💬  Russia has not used extreme measures yet, focusing on media support built on anti-Ukraine messaging and portraying Orbán as the "only defender of sovereignty";🟠 💬  A key coordinator: Russian diplomat Tigran Garibyan, who meets pro-government Hungarian journalists and gives instructions;🟠 💬  Three Russian military intelligence operatives reportedly arrived in Hungary;🟠 💬  Moscow is also preparing to question election results if the opposition wins.🟠 💬 ❗️  Orban is considered a key asset, giving Russia access to sensitive EU discussions — both directly and via cyber intrusions (per ex-cyber chief Ferenc Fress);🟠 💬 ❗️  Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto calls Sergey Lavrov during EU meetings, sharing live updates;🟠 💬  "Russia was effectively present at every EU meeting," a European official said;🟠 💬  SVR documents also show smear campaigns against Hungarian opposition, including AI fakes and fabricated cases targeting party members.