Explosives found near gas pipeline to Hungary, Vučić says

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Sunday morning that army and police found explosives that had been placed near a pipeline that carries gas to Serbia and Hungary.

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He said that “two large packages of explosives with detonators” were found inside backpacks in northern Serbia’s Kanjiza, “a few hundred metres from the gas pipeline”.

The Balkan Stream pipeline is an extension of the TurkStream pipeline, and transfers Russian gas to both Serbia and Hungary.

Vučić said he had informed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “of the initial results of the investigation by our military and police authorities into the threat to critical gas infrastructure.”

Orbán confirmed the two leaders had spoken, after which he called an “extraordinary defence council” in Hungary for Sunday afternoon.

Potential motives not clarified

There were no details provided on who may have placed the explosives near the gas pipeline, and why. Instead, Vučić said there were “certain traces” which he was unwilling to elaborate on.

The latest news comes at a time when the integrity of gas pipeline infrastructure has been in the headlines. The Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, a separate pipeline that carries Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, has been the cause of a dispute between Hungary and Ukraine.

It was damaged in a Russian strike in late January and has yet to be repaired, but both Hungary and Slovakia accuse Ukraine of using the issue for political gain. Hungary has since vetoed the EU’s approval of a €90 million loan Ukraine.

Referring to the discovery of explosives near the pipeline in Serbia, Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi rejected “attempts to falsely link Ukraine to the incident,” and suggested it is “probably a Russian false-flag operation as part of Moscow’s heavy interference in Hungarian elections.”

Orbán’s government in the past has repeatedly alleged that Ukraine is trying to trigger an energy crisis ahead of Hungary’s 12 April general election in an effort to undermine his administration.

Hungary’s opposition have accused him however of exaggerating the issue to boost his party’s popularity ahead of parliamentary elections next week, with the governing Fidesz trailing in the polls. Orbán denies the claims.

Unlike Hungary, Serbia is not an EU member state, and is a candidate for joining the bloc. Belgrade is heavily dependent on Russian gas, importing around six million cubic metres per day at roughly half the market price.