Alleged explosives find near gas pipeline raises heat days before Hungary’s pivotal election | CNN

Hungary and Ukraine are again trading accusations after two backpacks containing explosives were allegedly found by a gas pipeline near the Hungarian border, days before the country’s election. The devices were found in northern Serbia on Sunday, according to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, close to the pipeline that carries Russian gas to Hungary. In posts on social media, Hungarian officials sought to link Ukraine to the incident. “Just a series of coincidences,” wrote Balázs Orbán, a senior official in Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s office, before listing the pipeline incident, the closure of another oil pipeline bringing Russian oil to Hungary and the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline in 2022. “Ukraine wants to force Hungary to abandon its pro-peace position and support the war,” he added. Orbán is in the midst of a bitter election campaign to extend his 16 years in power, with opinion polls showing his Fidesz party trailing the opposition Tisza party ahead of the April 12 vote. The Hungarian leader has sought to associate the opposition with Brussels and Ukraine, suggesting that voting for Tisza means voting for war. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Su