Backpacks full of explosives found near Serbia-Hungary gas pipeline, leaders say
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- Two backpacks containing explosives with detonators were found near a Russian gas pipeline in Kanjiza, northern Serbia, close to the Hungarian border, prompting a significant police response and investigation by Serbian authorities.
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic informed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban about the threat, leading Orban to call an emergency defense council meeting amid Hungary's ongoing election campaign.
- Both Serbia and Hungary remain heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies, maintaining close ties with Moscow despite broader European efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy.
- Orban, facing a tough re-election battle, has criticized EU sanctions on Russian energy imports and warned of an impending energy crisis, using Hungary's exemption from these sanctions to deepen reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
- The political context includes upcoming Hungarian elections with Orban's Fidesz party challenged by the center-right Tisza party, while US officials continue to express strong support for Orban amid shifting international alliances.
