In the lead-up to Hungary’s parliamentary election on Sunday, sophisticated online operators have been orchestrating waves of coordinated content on the Telegram messaging app to instill fear about the consequences if Prime Minister Viktor Orban loses, research by data analytics firm Vox Harbor. A significant portion of this pro-Orban content originates from Russian or Russia-affiliated creators and distributors.
The study identified numerous instances where identical phrases appeared across multiple Telegram channels within a short timeframe, indicating a deliberate and organized messaging campaign. Opinion polls suggest that Orban, a nationalist leader who has frequently clashed with Brussels and maintains close ties with the Kremlin, faces the possibility of being unseated after 16 years by an opposition leader who was once his lieutenant.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s opposition accuses Orban and his Fidesz party of launching an aggressive disinformation campaign. This campaign reportedly employs traditional media, social platforms, and AI-generated content to stoke fears about the country’s future should the pro-European Union opposition, led by Peter Magyar, prevail in Sunday’s vote. Orban and his supporters counter that they are merely presenting facts to voters and claim that their opponents benefit from a large propaganda effort backed by Brussels.
Western governments have accused Moscow of covertly attempting to influence elections in its favor, allegations the Kremlin denies. Neither the Kremlin nor Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs responded to requests for comment on the Vox Harbor findings. Telegram described itself as a politically neutral platform committed to supporting everyone’s right to peaceful free speech.
Although Telegram is less popular in Hungary compared to platforms like Facebook and TikTok, the research suggests it serves as an “incubator” for pro-Orban narratives that later spread across other social media. Sampling posts on Facebook and Twitter revealed hundreds of messages echoing the same themes and often sharing identical headlines as those on Telegram.
Peter Kreko, director of the Hungary-based think tank Political Capital, and the Hungarian Digital Media Observatory have analyzed content on TikTok and Facebook. After reviewing the Telegram research, Kreko confirmed the narratives were consistent across platforms and noted significant coordinated activity. He added that much of the content appears to be Russian material translated for Hungarian audiences.
The Vox Harbor analysis covered over 628,000 messages posted by more than 30,000 groups this year up to April 7. Many narratives mirror Orban’s own talking points, including claims that the EU aims to undermine Hungary’s sovereignty, that external forces want to drag Hungary into the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and that Kyiv’s pro-EU leaders are conspiring against Orban. A recurring theme warns that anti-Orban factions might attempt to manipulate election results to prevent his victory.
Independent verification confirmed that such messages are widespread on Hungarian Telegram channels. The largest single source of forwarded messages in this ecosystem is a right-wing German-language platform called Uncut-News.ch. The next six largest sources are all linked to Russia, including Ukraina.ru, part of the Russian state media group Rossiya Segodnya.
Content from outside Hungary is translated and curated by operators for Hungarian audiences. One notable channel is Oroszok Az Igazság Oldalán, meaning “Russians on the Side of Truth,” which primarily forwards content from the Hungarian branch of Rybar, a blogger closely aligned with the Russian military.
