By Alice Lee and Madeline Roache | Published on March 20, 2026

An influence operation is targeting Hungary’s pivotal April 2026 parliamentary election with hundreds of AI-generated TikTok videos aimed at boosting Hungary’s pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and discrediting Orbán’s challenger, Péter Magyar. 

The network of 34 anonymous accounts identified by NewsGuard uses AI to produce videos ranging from the frivolous — putting anti-Magyar comments into the mouths of talking animals — to the serious, such as fabricating news reports pushing disparaging claims about Magyar and his party. The videos have garnered approximately 10 million views. TikTok confirmed to NewsGuard on March 18, 2026, that it has determined that the accounts NewsGuard identified are “part of a covert influence operation.”

NewsGuard also found that the Russian influence campaign known as Matryoshka has similarly started to spread false claims on X and Telegram targeting Hungary ahead of its election. (More on this below.) 

The campaigns come amid warnings from European security experts of Russian election interference ahead of Hungary’s April 12, 2026, parliamentary elections, which could significantly curb Russian influence in the European bloc. Orbán has been a reliable Russian ally. He has repeatedly used his veto power in the European Union since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to block or stall financial aid to Kyiv. If Orbán’s party Fidesz loses its parliamentary majority, Orbán would almost certainly be ousted. 

“Orbán is Putin’s most direct channel of influence within the EU,” Eva Bognar, a Budapest-based senior program officer at the Central European University’s Democracy Institute, told NewsGuard in a March 18, 2026, interview. “Russian interference is a serious concern now we’re in the campaign period.” 

Both the Kremlin and the Orbán administration have denied Russian interference. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said in a statement to the Financial Times published on March 10, 2026, “You are most likely making mistaken conclusions based on fake [news].” Orbán’s government told the newspaper that the claims are a “leftwing fake accusation.” NewsGuard contacted Hungarian and Russian authorities for comment but received no response. 

NewsGuard could not definitively trace the origins of the TikTok campaign, but of the 34 accounts identified, 22 were created in just two days in January 2026, suggesting a carefully coordinated effort. All 34 accounts are anonymous, and their profile pictures are all AI-generated images or graphics featuring the Hungarian flag. 

TikTok said on its website that it removed four networks from the platform in the past four months that it believed were “targeting the political discourse in Hungary.” One such network “created inauthentic accounts in order to artificially amplify narratives critical of the Tisza political party,” TikTok said. After NewsGuard shared a sample of the accounts identified for this report, TikTok said in an emailed statement: “We have banned these accounts for being part of a covert influence operation that we had previously disrupted. Ahead of the Hungarian elections, our safety and security experts are working alongside advanced technologies to maintain a safe and authentic TikTok experience by stopping attempts to deceive our community and providing access to reliable information.”

AI-PRODUCED NEWS ANCHORS ATTACK MAGYAR

One account in the TikTok network, “BrüsszelÜzem” (Hungarian for “Brussels Operation”), has posted six fabricated news reports featuring an AI-generated news anchor supposedly reporting on Magyar’s alleged anger issues, often with the help of “experts” who are also AI-generated. These six reports received a total of 385,000 views and 5,400 likes as of March 16, 2026.

NewsGuard’s analysis using AI-detection software Hive showed that in all six videos, the anchor was AI-generated with 100 percent certainty, as were the supposed guest experts. NewsGuard found multiple signs of inauthenticity, including the anchor’s face remaining noticeably static while speaking as well as rapid and unnatural blinking.

The reports used real footage of Magyar but added supposed reporting intended to portray him as aggressive. For example, in one video, the fabricated anchor stated: “And now for some extraordinary news: Péter ‘Péti’ Magyar has shown his true face. For some, the following footage may be disturbing; viewing is recommended at your own discretion.” The introduction was followed by short clips of Magyar speaking at press events, where he appears to be irritated by some technical issues. 

The clip then featured a supposed expert, identified as Hungarian behavioral scientist “Dr. Zoltán Ferenczi,” who told the “anchor” by phone: “This type of behavior is often a sign of suppressed aggression, which can frequently escalate into physical action.” NewsGuard found no evidence of the existence of a behavioral scientist by this name. While the footage shows Magyar somewhat annoyed, it does not depict “disturbing” footage of aggression, as the AI-generated anchor claimed.

ATTACKING UKRAINE TO BOOST ORBAN

Many of the TikTok videos focus on the Russia-Ukraine war and its potential impact on Hungary. They often criticize Magyar’s supposed closeness to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and warn voters that Hungarian men could be conscripted to fight for Ukraine under his leadership. 

In fact, Magyar has not expressed a strongly pro-Ukraine position. Some political analysts have said that Magyar would be expected to move Hungary closer to the European mainstream on issues such as the war in Ukraine. However, Magyar has not announced any decisive pro-Ukraine policies, and has said that he will not send Hungarian troops or aid to Ukraine.

Some of the TikTok videos seek to stoke fears of rising electricity and gas prices or play to concerns over the influence of what Orbán calls “the LGBT lobby” in Hungary’s conservative and religious society. For example, one TikTok video on the channel @mi.lenne.ha (Hungarian for “What if”) showed an imagined future under Magyar’s party in which the LGBT+ flag hangs alongside the Hungarian flag and drag queens teach children in schools.

FROM TEDDY BEARS TO JOHNNY DEPP

The accounts use everything from teddy bears and babies to Disney characters and Hollywood celebrities to advance the anti-Magyar message. An account called “Hunywood” published AI-generated videos of Hollywood actors Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio and American influencer and professional boxer Jake Paul disparaging Magyar. As of March 17, 2026, the account had published 13 videos of the three men that collectively attracted 105,000 views.

One video shows an AI-generated Depp speaking to camera in a restaurant, warning voters that Magyar will increase energy prices. “The electricity was so cheap in this luxury restaurant,” the AI-generated Depp says, adding that this will change if Magyar comes to power. The video gained 13,000 views in two days. (Unlike the falsified news reports, the videos on this account are marked as AI-generated.) 

Although DiCaprio and Depp have no apparent direct connection to Hungary or its domestic politics, they are well known in the country. Hollywood films starring the actors are widely shown in Hungarian cinemas and on television, and Depp filmed parts of the 2024 movie “Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness,” which he directed, in Budapest. Jake Paul also has no apparent link to Hungary, but news about the boxer is regularly covered by major Hungarian media.

There is no public record of DiCaprio, Depp, or Paul commenting on the Hungarian election. NewsGuard emailed representatives of DiCaprio, Depp, and Paul, seeking comment on the videos, but did not receive any responses.

IT’S NOT JUST TIKTOK

As noted above, the TikTok campaign is not the only one NewsGuard identified as targeting Hungary. NewsGuard found five false claims generated in just the past three days by Russian influence operation Matryoshka focused on demonizing Ukraine and, by extension, boosting the pro-Russia Orbán. 

For example, a March 17, 2026, video report posted on X bearing the logo of Microsoft claimed that “Ukrainian hackers are attacking Hungarian government websites, airports, and banks.” NewsGuard found no reports of such cyber-attacks reported by Microsoft on any of its channels or by any credible news outlet. Microsoft did not respond to NewsGuard’s requests for comment. 

Other fake news reports on X and Telegram by Matryoshka claimed that Zelensky sent an “HIV squad” of Ukrainian women to infect Hungarian men, that Ukrainians have threatened the friends of Orbán’s children and grandchildren with physical harm, and that Ukrainians are posting videos of themselves burning the Hungarian flag on TikTok.

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE BECOMES CAMPAIGN ISSUE

Magyar appears aware of Russian alleged interference efforts. He accused Orbán’s party, Fidesz, of conspiring with Russia. In a March 10, 2026, X post, Magyar said that “Fidesz, with the help of Russian intelligence services, will launch a smear and disinformation campaign previously tested in Moldova, primarily on social media, especially on TikTok.” Ahead of the Moldovan election, NewsGuard uncovered an anonymous network of 50 TikTok accounts that attempted to discredit the pro-European candidate, Maia Sandu, who was ultimately victorious.

Polls show Orbán’s party trailing with 39 percent of the vote, compared to Magyar’s Tisza party with 48 percent, as of March 19, 2026, Politico reported. But political analysts say the race is far from determined and Orbán may still win. 

What some analysts find surprising is not the coordinated interference, but how late it was launched compared to similar campaigns in Moldova, Romania, and Armenia. One reason could be early over-confidence in the Orbán camp, which has been eroded by recent polls showing him trailing Magyar. 

Botond Feledy, a Hungarian political scientist and non-resident fellow at the Budapest-based think tank Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy, told NewsGuard in an email: “The weak electoral stance of Fidesz might have pulled the emergency intervention from Russia in this last stage of the campaign.”

Mascha Wolf contributed reporting. 

Editing by Dina Contini and Eric Effron.