Hungarian PM's office confirms that Budapest has banned entry to Ukrainian commander over strikes on Druzhba pipeline

Balázs Orbán, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s political director, has confirmed that the Ukrainian military commander banned from entering Hungary due to attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline is Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, who is an ethnic Hungarian.

Source: Balázs Orbán in a comment to Hungarian news outlet 444, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on Thursday that Hungary had banned the commander of a Ukrainian military unit that carried out the latest attack on the Druzhba pipeline from entering the country, but did not disclose the person’s name.

Balázs Orbán has clarified that the commander in question is Robert Brovdi, head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.

For reference: Brovdi, an ethnic Hungarian born in Zakarpattia Oblast (Transcarpathia), goes by the alias Magyar. He is the founder of Magyar’s Birds, a unit which specialises in the use of drones. On 3 June 2025, he was appointed commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Background:

• On 18 August, Magyar confirmed the strike on the Druzhba pipeline on Facebook, writing that the pipeline "is taking a break".
• On 28 August, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha issued a robust response to Hungary’s decision to ban Brovdi from entering the country. He rebuked his Hungarian counterpart Szijjártó, saying that for him, the Russian pipeline was more important than murdered Ukrainian children.
• On the night of 27-28 August, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv. Sixteen people, including three children, were killed and dozens were injured in the attack.
• The Hungarian government has failed to condemn the strike, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he is waiting for a response from Budapest, which has repeatedly called for peace talks with Russia.

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