Caught in the Act: Hungary Denies Drone Strikes Over Ukraine
A counter UAS system A1-Falke by Argus Interception follows a drone during the defence exercise "Red Storm Bravo" in which civilian and military coordination is trained and led by German army Bundeswehr in Hamburg, Germany, September 26, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Hungary has denied President Zelenskyy’s claim that its military drones violated Ukrainian airspace. Yet, the Ukrainian General Staff released radar data and a map showing that on September 26, an unidentified drone crossed twice from Hungary over Transcarpathia.
The Hungarian Ministry of Defense stated that Zelenskyy’s statements are allegedly “untrue,” writes Telex.
The department emphasized that the Hungarian army “did not carry out nor receive orders to fly a drone over the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.”
They also noted that the Ukrainian side has not sent any official information on the matter, although contacts between the countries are maintained continuously. The ministry recalled that large-scale NATO exercises, Adaptive Hussars 2025, are ongoing in Hungary until mid-October, and that both allies and Ukraine have been informed.
At the same time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released a map showing the route recorded by Ukrainian radars on September 26. They confirmed that the drone crossed the state border from the Hungarian side twice, flying over Transcarpathia.
“On the morning of September 26, 2025, radar equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine detected the flight of a drone-type aerial object over the Transcarpathian region at different altitudes on two separate occasions. The object twice violated Ukraine’s state border from the Hungarian side,” the General Staff said in a statement.
To monitor the situation, the Ukrainian military deployed its own Chaplin-KM drones to patrol the Uzhhorod Raion.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters on Friday, he instructed the military to verify reports of Hungarian reconnaissance drones and, if necessary, take action to defend Ukraine.
“There was a report from our military about, frankly, very strange events on the border between Ukraine and Hungary. Our military recorded drones, and they were reconnaissance drones,” he noted.
The Head of State clarified that he had ordered a thorough inspection and, in the future, if such cases occur again, to respond appropriately.
“Ukrainians are currently the best in Europe in protection against any drones. We are ready to share our experience with other nations that need reliable protection against drone threats,” Zelenskyy added.
As a reminder, it was reported that the Ukrainian military recorded reconnaissance drones in the airspace of our country. The drones probably belong to the neighboring state of Hungary. These drones were previously collecting information about the industrial potential in the border area.