By Xhabir Deralla
in cooperation with CHTM

A sensational claim circulating in Hungarian media alleges that Ukraine is preparing armed militants to provoke unrest in Hungary ahead of the country’s elections. The article, published by the Hungarian outlet Ellenpont under the headline “Ukrainian star journalist: The Zelenskys are training militants to send them to Hungary,” presents statements by the controversial Ukrainian media figure Diana Panchenko as evidence of a supposed plan to orchestrate a “Hungarian Maidan.”

The problem is simple: the article provides no proof.

Instead of verifiable information, the piece relies on a social media post, speculative interpretation, and circular references to its own reporting. Panchenko—portrayed in the article as an award-winning “star journalist”—is in fact widely known for promoting pro-Kremlin narratives and has faced criminal charges in Ukraine related to the dissemination of Russian propaganda during wartime.

Screenshot of a social media post by Diana Panchenko, a pro-Kremlin propagandist, whose unverified claims were amplified by the Hungarian outlet Ellenpont to support the narrative of a supposed “Hungarian Maidan.”

The narrative itself follows a well-established pattern of Russian information warfare. For years, Kremlin propaganda has framed democratic protests in neighboring countries as foreign-engineered “Maidans,” portraying popular dissent as a covert operation orchestrated by hostile powers. By repackaging that narrative in the context of Hungarian domestic politics, the Ellenpont article reproduces a familiar disinformation template—one designed not to inform the public, but to manufacture fear and suspicion.

This is not journalism. It is propaganda laundering.

The Ellenpont piece does not present evidence that Ukraine is “training militants” to destabilize Hungary. Its central claim rests on a single unverified statement attributed to Diana Panchenko on X, with no documents, no independent confirmation, no official source, no intelligence finding, and no on-the-ground reporting. Even worse, the article tries to inflate her credibility while hiding the most relevant fact about her current role: Panchenko has been identified by Ukrainian authorities and by the EU as a pro-Kremlin propagandist, and she has been subjected to sanctions and criminal proceedings related to Russia-aligned information operations and high treason allegations.

Screenshot of the Hungarian outlet Ellenpont promoting the claim that Ukraine is preparing militants to destabilize Hungary—a narrative built on an unverified social media post by pro-Kremlin propagandist Diana Panchenko.

The article’s method is a textbook disinformation pattern. First, it presents an incendiary allegation as if it were already established fact. Then it wraps that allegation in status language such as “star journalist,” “one of the best-known journalists,” and “award-winning,” as if past visibility automatically equals present credibility. That is false framing. Panchenko worked on NewsOne, one of the Medvedchuk-linked channels that Ukrainian media watchdogs said systematically promoted aggressive-war propaganda, hatred, and narratives undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

There is another red flag: the article uses circular sourcing. For the explosive claim that Zelensky “threatened to kill Orbán,” it cites not an official transcript, not a full video with context, and not a credible neutral source, but another Ellenpont article. In other words, Ellenpont cites Ellenpont to “prove” its own most inflammatory interpretation. That is not verification. That is an echo chamber pretending to be evidence.

Even the Zelensky remark, however provocative, is being pushed here in its most sensational reading. Credible reporting shows he was reacting to Hungary’s blockage of major EU support for Ukraine and speaking in the context of that political clash. You can criticize the remark without turning it into proof of a secret Ukrainian plan to unleash armed riots in Budapest. The leap from a confrontational statement to a conspiracy about imported militants is not reporting. It is narrative fabrication.

So the core facts are simple. Ellenpont offers no proof for the “Hungarian Maidan” claim. Its star witness is a sanctioned pro-Kremlin propagandist facing treason-related accusations in Ukraine. Its credibility scaffolding relies partly on Wikipedia and partly on its own prior articles. And its conclusion is not the product of investigation, but of political messaging designed to inflame fear, demonize Ukraine, and turn Hungarian domestic politics into a stage for Kremlin-style paranoia.

What makes this narrative particularly revealing is its reliance on the myth of the “Maidan conspiracy.” Since Ukraine’s 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity, Kremlin propaganda has systematically portrayed democratic uprisings across the region as foreign-engineered coups rather than expressions of public will. From Ukraine to Georgia, from Belarus to the Western Balkans, protests demanding accountability and democracy are routinely reframed as secret Western operations designed to destabilize governments. The purpose of this narrative is simple: to delegitimize civic movements, discredit democratic aspirations, and convince audiences that popular protests cannot exist without foreign manipulation.

This is not a warning based on facts. It is a fabricated panic built from a propagandist’s post, recycled through a partisan outlet, and served to the public as if fantasy were intelligence.

Call it by its real name: a Kremlin-style disinformation stunt in Hungarian packaging. That is all.

Read also: 

Hybrid Operations Across Europe on the Rise
EARLY WARNING REPORT | Pro-Kremlin messaging, mobilisation narratives, and hybrid risk in Europe and the Western Balkans. Focus period: 22–28 December 2025, with a 7–14 day outlook
(LINK)

EYES ON DEMOCRACY podcast series with Roger Casale & Xhabir Deralla
(LINK)