Serbian authorities are investigating an attempted sabotage of the Balkan Stream gas pipeline after explosives were discovered near the Hungarian border, according to reports from European news sources. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Sunday that "two large packages of explosives with detonators" were found inside backpacks in northern Serbia's Kanjiža, located just a few hundred meters from the pipeline that transports Russian gas to Serbia and Hungary.
Vučić reportedly warned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about the incident, prompting Orbán to convene a security meeting and deploy military protection on the Hungarian section of the pipeline. The head of Serbia's military security agency VBA, Đuro Jovanić, stated that the suspect is believed to be "a person from a group of migrants" with military training.
The incident has sparked political controversy ahead of Hungary's upcoming election, with Orbán's main opponent Péter Magyar suggesting it could be a "false flag" operation. Orbán has implied Ukrainian involvement, stating that "Ukraine has been working for years to cut Europe off from Russian energy." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also suggested it was "highly likely" that Ukraine was involved.
Ukraine has categorically denied any involvement, with foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stating, "Ukraine has nothing to do with this." The Ukrainian government has instead accused Russia of conducting an influence operation as part of Moscow's alleged interference in the Hungarian election.
The Balkan Stream pipeline is an extension of the TurkStream pipeline and serves as a critical energy infrastructure link between Russia, Serbia, and Hungary. Kanjiža, a town of approximately 8,000 people in Serbia's Vojvodina province, is predominantly populated by ethnic Hungarians and was a key transit point during Europe's 2015 migrant crisis.