Hungary fired the country’s army commander-in-chief without explanation, according to a presidential decree issued Thursday.
Several hundred high-ranking and military intelligence officers have reportedly been fired this year as a law passed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government in January allows the defense minister to fire anyone over 45.
While the government says it wants to rejuvenate the military, opposition parties have called the layoffs “purges” aimed at replacing Western-oriented pro-NATO officers.
“As of April 27, I am dismissing the Commander of the Hungarian Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Romulos Ruzin-Szendi,” reads a decree signed by President Katalin Nowak in the official Hungarian Gazette.
No further details were provided.
Ruszin-Szendi was Hungary’s youngest commander when, in 2019, at the age of 46, he was appointed to the presidency by Janos Ader, Novak’s predecessor.
His intended replacement is Gabor Borondy, 52, currently Hungary’s military representative to NATO and the EU, according to a statement from the defense ministry on Thursday.
Ruszin-Szendi “will continue to serve his country in another area,” the statement said.
The move follows a military upheaval this year, when the government increased defense spending, saying it wants to create a “competitive performance-driven situation” in the army.
On Thursday, investigative website Atlatszo released a video purporting to show helicopters bound for neighboring Ukraine, filmed at Hungary’s Gyor Pér airport in February.
Earlier this month, U.S. news outlet Politico reported that a leak of unverified U.S. military intelligence documents indicates that Hungary may be secretly allowing allies to use its airspace to deliver weapons to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense denied this information, repeatedly stating that the helicopters intended for Ukraine were not allowed through the airspace of Hungary.
Under Orbán, who maintained close economic ties with Russia after the invasion, Hungary refused to send military aid to Ukraine or even allow military equipment to pass through its territory.
