Hungarian PM faces ‘false flag’ claims after Serbia says explosives found near pipeline

Incident prompts political scrutiny across Hungary as Viktor Orban trails in polls before next Sunday's election

Serbia has said it found explosives of devastating power" near a pipeline that carries Russian natural gas to Hungary and beyond, sparking claims by Hungary's leading opposition candidate of a possible false flag" operation aimed at influencing the country's elections.

On Sunday, Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, said he had been informed by Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vui, of the discovery near an extension of the TurkStream pipeline, which transports Russian gas through the Balkans to central and eastern Europe.