High-ranking Russian secret agent may have been granted Hungarian citizenship despite warnings from intelligence services.
After revelations that Metropolitan Hilarion, once considered a potential leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, often climbed into bed with his assistant, both Czech and Hungarian intelligence sources are now claiming he was an agent of the Russian security services. Yet, this important fact was ignored when he was granted Hungarian citizenship.
Intelligence warnings were ignored for Hilarion’s citizenship approval
Szabolcs Panyi recently wrote about the affair in a Vsquare newsletter. Referring to Czech and Hungarian sources, he revealed that Hungary’s Constitution Protection Office advised against approving the citizenship application of the Russian church leader due to his ties with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
Despite this, the Hungarian government disregarded the warning, granting citizenship not just to Hilarion but also to his mother under family reunification rules. According to Panyi, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén played a key role in facilitating the process.
- Hungarian energy company Mol secretly plans to take over US sanctioned Serbian oil giant from the Russians
While Hungary sometimes welcomes granting citizenship to religious leaders, ignoring intelligence advice is highly unusual. Panyi points out that the collaboration between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin is no secret in Central Europe.
Hilarion had previously been touted as the successor to Patriarch Kirill and was transferred to Budapest in 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. However, his stay wasn’t long—he was moved to the Czech Republic in 2024 due to financial misconduct and personal scandals. He now serves in Karlovy Vary.
This was far from his first scandal
Last week, the Czech newspaper Denik N published an interview with George Suzuki, Hilarion’s former altar boy. Suzuki handed over footage showing Hilarion, in his underwear, climbing into bed beside him and snuggling close.
- For more on Suzuki’s statements about the Hungarian Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the former metropolitan’s mansion in Vácduka, click and read our article.
At the end of October, Panyi also released footage of Hilarion at the FSB headquarters in Lubyanka Square, aiming a rifle:
💥📹Leaked video: Metropolitan Hilarion—Patriarch Kirill’s former no. 2, later head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Hungarian branch, now posted in Karlovy Vary—seen at the FSB's Lubyanka Square HQ shooting range.
🔗More in @VSquare_Project's newsletter, see thread below.🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/cy2z0IrnW6
— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) October 30, 2025
Click for more Russia-related news.
Of course he’s a Russian agent. That’s why Fidesz gave him citizenship. Wake up Hungary. Orban is a Russian agent as well.
If I understand you right, Dear Larry : everyone who does not want to risk nuclear war regime-changing Russia, or treat them as a pariah uniquely sinful in a sinful world, is a Russian Agent.
That means the world is crawling in Russian Agents – billions and billions of them.
Apparently Russia has a bigger economy than we thought, as this outlay for espionage has got to be a killer.
If the assertion that the Hungary’s Constitution Protection Office advised against approving the citizenship application of Mr. Hilarion due to ties with the Russian Federal Security Service – then Politicians should heed, instead of Mr. Semjén pushing the application through. Or am I missing something?
And I thought that we all have issues with pedophiles…
Interesting point about the cognitive dissonance within the Hungarian government over Father Hilarion.
As to his being a pedofille : we ought be hesitant to accept such a slander, without a legal conviction.
A man ought be given the benefit of a doubt.
Moreover, these slanders are excellent weapons of mind control that are provided to us by shadowy forces.
Be well!
I do not believe that hard intelligence by our own Constitution Protection Office constitutes “cognitive dissonance”.
Ignore at your peril. Conviction, or not.
Or you could just naturalize a bunch of unconvicted pedophiles, criminals, etc. – benefit of the doubt, right? Wait and see …
Thank you for another reply, Dear Norbert.
I read your comments and understand how you feel.
I have nothing to add.
Have a great day!
For anyone who is still naive enough to believe that the Russian Orthodox Church is simply an innocent religious organization read up on the history of its’ leader Patriarch Kirill. That church is used extensively for espionage wherever it exists. Kirill has given his blessing to the mass murder of Ukrainians by Russia as a type of holy war. Real “Christians” who only want peace right Monton? Fidesz has linked itself to the worst swine they can associate with. Remember mass murdering Bashar al-Assad? Szijjarto declared Hungary’s “mutual respect” with that regime a mere two months before al-Assad fled to Moscow.
https://www.euronews.com/2023/02/06/patriarch-kirill-worked-for-the-kgb-in-the-1970s-swiss-media-reports
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/russian-orthodox-church-declares-holy-war-against-ukraine-and-west/
Dear Larry – you are carrying on about the Russian Orthodox Church, as if you do not know that, in Russia, the notion of separation of church and state is totally rejected.
Russians believe that the church and the state work together in harmony.
It has always been that way – not just in Stalinist days, but, going back to the first Czars.
We, as Westerners, do not have to like that, because it does have some obvious pitfalls, but, the fact that they, the Russians, have a different view does not make them suspicious devils.
Moreover, as an American, I can tell you that, in spite of the fact that we believe in separation between church and state, the American flag is present on most church altars, and that is just the beginning of our inconsistencies, on this matter.
Have a nice day.
Not “suspicious devils”. We are talking about a country that murdered millions of their own people under Stalin including through the deliberate starvation of millions of Ukrainians. These are the people that occupied Hungary for 46 long years bringing a regime of torture and murder to the Hungarian people including one of our family members who was in Andrassy ut three times. The people in power in Russia have nothing good for Hungary or anyone else. They have their hooks into the Hungarian elite right now through bribery and they have used propaganda and misinformation for years to brainwash simple Hungarians that they are no threat but the organization that did the most to bring prosperity to Hungarians – the EU – is instead a threat to Hungarians. In this world you will find that the closer any state’s relationship is with Russia the farther away they are from democracy and that is why Hungary has both a problem with Rule of Law and a problem with allying itself with Putin.
Thank you, Dear Larry, for an excellent and heartfelt response.
What Soviet Russia did to Hungary, 1945-1989, IS a grievous offence.
That said, in fairness, Hungary went East, with millions of other Europeans in 1941 – and a brutal war of annihilation was waged upon the Russian people.
You know this.
You know that history shows that Western and Central Europeans pick fights with Russia and that Russia ALWAYS finishes those fights, on their terms.
Again, NATO ignored Russia from 1989-2022 – and went further and further East. Western Countries did everything possible to make Ukraine a war zone, to make a war on Russia, by provoking Russia with many dastardly acts.
The Ukraine has been devastated – and it is our fault – NOT the Russian fault.
You also know that the 20th century was filled with unspeakable atrocities – and NO COUNTRY in The West lacked for criminal behavior.
My own father fought the Germans at Normandie, in the now famous Private Ryan Division. My daddy told me, one day, ‘Son, we almost never took German prisoners’.
How many German soldiers did the 29th Infantry ‘Blue & Grey’ Division kill in criminal acts?
How many German civilians did we kill firebombing cities?
Do I need to remind you of Kun Andras?
At this point you may be wondering why I am talking to you about this?
Because nurturing emnity against peoples never ends well for anybody.
Every tribe of people has, at one time or another, acted badly.
I pray that you will one day appreciate that the Russo-Hungarian relations are more complicated than just … Hungary good – Russia bad.
That said – I again thank you for sharing with me your perspectives.
I am sorry for the difficulties you and your family underwent in the 20th century.
Wait. Your position is that the devastation of Ukraine is NOT Russias fault ??? Really ???
In your words – it is Russia that picked this fight, so must be held responsible and accountable for the death and destruction.
Also as a final note – I for one am of the opinion that the aspirations do not end with Ukraine. As we have learned – Mr. Putins promises are worth … Nothing.
Thank you for your comment, Dear Norbert.
The Western Elite insisted on this war, for 30 years, and constantly did everything to provoke a violent response from them – exactly as they goaded Japan into attacking Pearl Harbour in 1941.
This is how our Elite rule us – sneakliy light fire after fire in the areas where there are those they want to attack. Once the fire produce the results our elite want, and those they wanted an excuse to destroy attack us, they tell us we are victims of a dastardly attack!
In my opinion, President Putin was too patient with this situation. If I had been in his position I would have pushed NATO back to Galicia, Bukhovina, and Transkarpaty long ago.
Many in Russia feel this way, as well.
In Putin’s defence, he did not feel that, in 2014, Russia could withstand the kind of assault Russia has withstood since 2022.
He needed his finance minster, Elvia Nabiullina, to fortify the economic structure better, first, so that the Russian economy would not be obliterated by a larger version of sanctions they ultimately received in 2022.
Meanwhile, he., Putin, would exhaust every opportunity to try and find a diplomatic and peaceful solution to the problem of NATO’s relentless push East.
Yet, alas, he was unable to find any working solution, because our elite had no interest in anything but Russian submission.
Very sad how many people scream that the Ukraine is being destroyed, are the very people who USED The Ukraine to start this war.
We, in The West, do not care at all about the Ukraine.
Most of us cannot even find it on a map, nor do we know that Ukraine was a thousand years Russia; that their blood is Russian, and that their faith is Russian.
Somehow, despite all of this, we, in The West, believe that the Ukraine belongs to us.
Sadder still, many of us, who can actually find The Ukraine on the map, do not actually care about what happens to Ukrainians, for, if we did, we would not have regime-changed their democratically elected governments 3 times since 1991.
Viktor Yanukovitch, the Ukraine’s last legitimate president, was a much better choice for The Ukraine, which was why he was elected and reelected.
Yanukovitch’s external policies were for Ukraine, the same as Orban’s are for Hungary – friends with everyone, enemies with none – if at all possible.
Therefore, Yanukovitch, would not go along with our anti-Russian plans in 2013, however, so we removed him in the so-called ‘Maidan Spring.’
Meanwhile, as we cry about the ghastly behavior of those devilish Russians in The Ukraine, we are attempting to regime-change Venezuela, Iran, Serbia, and, yes, once again Hungary – all while we remove any Romanian candidate for president we do not like!!
One thing is for sure – we, or should I say – the Elite in The West, are the world champions of double standards.
Everyone else and everything else, other than what we want, is evil!
So .. The West has the war it want, just as in 1812, just as in 1914, just as in 1941, and on and one.
Nothing changes, except which European country happens to be leading the coalition of Russia-invaders next.
In fact, if you want to go way back, we can count the Poles, Swedes, and Lithuanians in on this invasion little fetish, as well.
But, of course – the Russians are to blame. They are so very very bad, aren’t they?
Be well, Dear Norbert!
The Russian bots are getting ever more complex … Hitting all Mr. Lavrovs talking points for the past decade. Impressive!
” Putin, would exhaust every opportunity to try and find a diplomatic and peaceful solution” – ROFL
I respect your right, Dear Norbert, to consider me anything you wish.
All I can say is that I report what I see, as objectively as I can, and I do it for no benefit other than the joy of noting what is true.
The West wanted this war. Russia did not, but, in the end, could find no way to escape it.
Now that The West has gotten what it wants, this war, it has begun to regret.
In the end, your leader, Orban Viktor, has repeatedly spoken the naked truth : – that this is a stupid, expensive and inhuman war that not only could have been avoided, it could and never will be won by the West.
God, himself, could not beat Russia in The Ukraine – even IF a majority of Westerners wanted to go and fight and die for Operation Barbarossa 2.0 – which they do not.
Be well!