Issued on: 12/04/2026 - 16:16Modified: 13/04/2026 - 10:51

Gavin Lee speaks with Szabolcs Panyi, VSquare’s Budapest-based lead investigative editor in charge of Central European investigations, and an investigative journalist at Direkt36. Panyi’s reporting on alleged ties between Hungary’s political leadership and Russian state actors led to an unprecedented reaction: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban publicly accused him of espionage.

According to Panyi, Orban’s aim is to discredit independent journalism by promoting false narratives of conspiracies against the government. Panyi’s investigation into communications between Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seems to have sparked a preemptive effort to undermine both the findings and the journalist behind them.

This situation reflects a broader shift in Hungary: the erosion of press freedom, the weaponization of state institutions, and the growing fusion of political power with control over information. Despite facing intimidation, surveillance, and threats, Panyi remains steadfast in his commitment to investigative journalism – not merely as an act of defiance, but as an essential pillar of democratic accountability.

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