Russia expels Hungarian diplomats, warns NATO of nuclear response to military buildup

Russia has ordered Hungarian diplomatic staff to leave the country within two weeks in retaliation for Budapest’s expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats, while warning NATO that any attempt to isolate Kaliningrad could trigger a military response.

On Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Hungary’s chargé d’affaires to protest Budapest’s “groundless and openly unfriendly” expulsion of Russian diplomats last month.

The ministry ordered diplomatic staff from Hungary’s embassy in Moscow and its consulates in St. Petersburg and Kazan to leave Russia.

The move came after Hungary expelled 10 Russian diplomats on September 8 over activities it described as incompatible with their diplomatic status.

Hungarian authorities acknowledged Russia’s decision on Thursday but maintained that Budapest was “not interested in an escalation of diplomatic tension.”

On September 9, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia remained open to maintaining ties with Hungary despite the diplomatic dispute, stressing that Moscow was interested in preserving the “valuable legacy and experience of Russian-Hungarian bilateral relations.”

Russia’s Ambassador to Hungary Evgeny Stanislavov had characterized Budapest’s September 8 expulsion as an “extremely unfriendly step” and an “unprecedented and unjustified escalation.” 

Russia warns NATO of nuclear response over Kaliningrad

The diplomatic dispute comes amid a broader deterioration in Russia’s relations with NATO states, particularly over military activity around the Baltic Sea and the strategic Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

On Wednesday, Russia warned NATO that any attempt by NATO countries to isolate Kaliningrad from the rest of Russia would prompt it to use “the full arsenal of forces and means at its disposal, including nuclear weapons.”

The Russian diplomatic note also described NATO as pursuing a “dangerous and reckless course” carrying a “high risk of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict.”

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova cautioned on Wednesday that statements by officials from NATO states demonstrated “Russophobia” and a readiness to wage war against Moscow, adding that such figures “need to be brought back down to earth.”

“We hope that our warnings will be heard by those to whom they are addressed,” Zakharova stressed, before warning, “If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a completely different sort of war, a very short war.”

Peskov stated on Wednesday that Russia’s diplomats were merely reminding European officials of Moscow’s policy regarding Kaliningrad.

“It is only natural that our diplomats are trying to remind the hotheads in Europe about our policy documents regarding this matter,” Peskov said.

NATO has stepped up military activity in the Baltic, with Germany and Sweden holding the Silver Wotan exercise on Gotland Island from September 18, involving more than 1,000 troops.

Between September 21 and 27, NATO fighters were scrambled six times to monitor Russian military flights between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad, including MiG-31, Su-30, Su-35 and Su-24 aircraft.

NATO has continued to reinforce its military presence across the Baltic region, fueling growing Russian concerns over mounting military pressure around Kaliningrad.

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