Szabolcs Panyi
@szabolcspanyi.bsky.social
Journalist investigating Central Europe 🇭🇺🇵🇱🇸🇰🇨🇿 at VSquare.org and Direkt36.hu. Corruption, illiberalism, 🇷🇺 and 🇨🇳 meddling.
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🗞️ vsquare.org/newsletter
✉️ [email protected]
🙏 buymeacoffee.com/szabolcspanyi
📝 authory.com/szabolcspanyi
🗞️ vsquare.org/newsletter
✉️ [email protected]
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Szabolcs Panyi
@szabolcspanyi.bsky.social
· Aug 27
Szabolcs Panyi is doing investigative journalism & holding power to account - Buymeacoffee
Szia! 👋I’m a Budapest-based investigative journalist dedicated to uncovering corruption, abuse of power, and Russian and Chinese espionage and influence operations in Central Europe. I also work
buymeacoffee.com
☕💡Independent investigations into corruption and abuse of power don’t come easy—they require time, resources, and risk. If you’d like to help me keep going, you can support here:
💥German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that Viktor Orbán travelled to Vladimir Putin without an EU mandate or consulting European leaders.
He added that Orbán’s last trip in 2024 wasn’t just a failure — it was followed by one of Russia’s most intense strikes.
He added that Orbán’s last trip in 2024 wasn’t just a failure — it was followed by one of Russia’s most intense strikes.
November 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
💥German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that Viktor Orbán travelled to Vladimir Putin without an EU mandate or consulting European leaders.
He added that Orbán’s last trip in 2024 wasn’t just a failure — it was followed by one of Russia’s most intense strikes.
He added that Orbán’s last trip in 2024 wasn’t just a failure — it was followed by one of Russia’s most intense strikes.
Reposted by Szabolcs Panyi
☕💡Independent investigations into corruption, espionage, and power abuses take time, resources, and risk. If you value my reporting on Russian influence and Orbán’s reach in Central Europe, you can support my work directly:
Szabolcs Panyi is doing investigative journalism & holding power to account - Buymeacoffee
Szia! 👋I’m a Budapest-based investigative journalist dedicated to uncovering corruption, abuse of power, and Russian and Chinese espionage and influence operations in Central Europe. I also work
buymeacoffee.com
November 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
☕💡Independent investigations into corruption, espionage, and power abuses take time, resources, and risk. If you value my reporting on Russian influence and Orbán’s reach in Central Europe, you can support my work directly:
💥Wow: Polish president Karol Nawrocki CANCELS his December 4 Budapest meeting with Viktor Orbán over the Hungarian PM’s Kremlin visit and Hungary doubling down on Russian energy. Is Poland’s populist right finally waking up to Orbán’s real allegiances? We'll see. Statement: x.com/marcin_przyd...
November 30, 2025 at 8:43 AM
💥Wow: Polish president Karol Nawrocki CANCELS his December 4 Budapest meeting with Viktor Orbán over the Hungarian PM’s Kremlin visit and Hungary doubling down on Russian energy. Is Poland’s populist right finally waking up to Orbán’s real allegiances? We'll see. Statement: x.com/marcin_przyd...
☕💡Independent investigations into corruption, espionage, and power abuses take time, resources, and risk. If you value my reporting on Russian influence and Orbán’s reach in Central Europe, you can support my work directly:
Szabolcs Panyi is doing investigative journalism & holding power to account - Buymeacoffee
Szia! 👋I’m a Budapest-based investigative journalist dedicated to uncovering corruption, abuse of power, and Russian and Chinese espionage and influence operations in Central Europe. I also work
buymeacoffee.com
November 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
☕💡Independent investigations into corruption, espionage, and power abuses take time, resources, and risk. If you value my reporting on Russian influence and Orbán’s reach in Central Europe, you can support my work directly:
🔎🇷🇺 Odd, slightly protocol-breaking moment at the Orbán–Putin meeting: before the leaders entered the room, Hungary’s rabidly pro-Kremlin foreign minister Péter Szijjártó sat in the Russian delegation’s seat to chat with his friend Sergey Lavrov, then slowly walked back to his own side.
November 29, 2025 at 12:06 PM
🔎🇷🇺 Odd, slightly protocol-breaking moment at the Orbán–Putin meeting: before the leaders entered the room, Hungary’s rabidly pro-Kremlin foreign minister Péter Szijjártó sat in the Russian delegation’s seat to chat with his friend Sergey Lavrov, then slowly walked back to his own side.
🌏Had an incredible time at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in beautiful Kuala Lumpur — inspiring panels and great energy. Grateful to have taken part alongside my brilliant Central European colleagues. #GIJC25 @gijn.org @vsquare.bsky.social @direkt36.bsky.social
November 29, 2025 at 11:19 AM
🌏Had an incredible time at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in beautiful Kuala Lumpur — inspiring panels and great energy. Grateful to have taken part alongside my brilliant Central European colleagues. #GIJC25 @gijn.org @vsquare.bsky.social @direkt36.bsky.social
🕵️🪆Vladimir Putin has a peculiar recurring gesture former counterintelligence officers flagged: when greeting Viktor Orbán’s delegation, he shakes hands with everyone — but always gives foreign minister Péter Szijjártó a distinct pat on the arm.
He does this only to Szijjártó.
He does this only to Szijjártó.
November 28, 2025 at 4:55 PM
🕵️🪆Vladimir Putin has a peculiar recurring gesture former counterintelligence officers flagged: when greeting Viktor Orbán’s delegation, he shakes hands with everyone — but always gives foreign minister Péter Szijjártó a distinct pat on the arm.
He does this only to Szijjártó.
He does this only to Szijjártó.
💥Countries with the most porn stars per capita? Czechia, Latvia and Hungary top the list — ahead of the US & UK. This investigation uncovers how a mysterious Frenchman built a porn empire from his Czech base, using shady tactics to dominate the industry.
The Most Powerful Man in Porn? Meet Prague’s Porn Pharaoh - VSquare.org
Prague has been Europe’s unofficial porn capital for decades. For the past 20 years, one company and one man has dominated Europe’s porn industry.
vsquare.org
November 28, 2025 at 4:29 PM
💥Countries with the most porn stars per capita? Czechia, Latvia and Hungary top the list — ahead of the US & UK. This investigation uncovers how a mysterious Frenchman built a porn empire from his Czech base, using shady tactics to dominate the industry.
💥Speculation around Viktor Orbán’s Kremlin trip is growing — including why he brought construction and transport minister János Lázár again, after taking him to the White House to meet Trump. Rumors persist that Lázár could become Orbán’s “Medvedev,” his chosen successor as PM or candidate for PM.
November 28, 2025 at 12:56 PM
💥Speculation around Viktor Orbán’s Kremlin trip is growing — including why he brought construction and transport minister János Lázár again, after taking him to the White House to meet Trump. Rumors persist that Lázár could become Orbán’s “Medvedev,” his chosen successor as PM or candidate for PM.
💥SCOOP: Viktor Orbán arranged his upcoming Moscow trip behind NATO allies’ backs, just like last summer. He’ll discuss with Putin gas, oil, nuclear & Hungary’s MOL buying a stake in Serbia’s NIS oil firm.
🔗More details in @vsquare.bsky.social's fresh Goulash newsletter: vsquare.org/goulash-rend...
🔗More details in @vsquare.bsky.social's fresh Goulash newsletter: vsquare.org/goulash-rend...
November 27, 2025 at 7:02 PM
💥SCOOP: Viktor Orbán arranged his upcoming Moscow trip behind NATO allies’ backs, just like last summer. He’ll discuss with Putin gas, oil, nuclear & Hungary’s MOL buying a stake in Serbia’s NIS oil firm.
🔗More details in @vsquare.bsky.social's fresh Goulash newsletter: vsquare.org/goulash-rend...
🔗More details in @vsquare.bsky.social's fresh Goulash newsletter: vsquare.org/goulash-rend...
🇭🇺 EXCLUSIVE: An in-depth look at how Viktor Orbán and Fidesz underestimated Péter Magyar until it was too late. Direkt36 reveals how Orbán’s spring offensive against him backfired—fueling internal tensions and exposing cracks inside the government.
”The situation is tense” – How Orbán has tried overcome Fidesz’s internal crisis - Direkt36
Fidesz underestimated opposition leader Péter Magyar so much that they realized too late that he posed a real threat to them. Direkt36 reveals how Viktor Orbán launched his spring offensive against Magyar and how this caused tensions within the government.
www.direkt36.hu
November 27, 2025 at 6:38 PM
🇭🇺 EXCLUSIVE: An in-depth look at how Viktor Orbán and Fidesz underestimated Péter Magyar until it was too late. Direkt36 reveals how Orbán’s spring offensive against him backfired—fueling internal tensions and exposing cracks inside the government.
💥✈️NEW INVESTIGATION: A 2019 private jet landing near Basel turned into a major bust: police found 600 kg of cocaine in 21 suitcases. The smuggling trail led to a Balkan drug cartel that employed Czech pilots. @investigacecz.bsky.social @vsquare.bsky.social
How Czech Pilots Flew For a Cocaine Cartel - VSquare.org
In the spring of 2019, a private jet landed at the airport near Basel. What looked like a routine flight turned into an international police operation: officers seized 600 kilograms of cocaine hidden ...
vsquare.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:47 PM
💥✈️NEW INVESTIGATION: A 2019 private jet landing near Basel turned into a major bust: police found 600 kg of cocaine in 21 suitcases. The smuggling trail led to a Balkan drug cartel that employed Czech pilots. @investigacecz.bsky.social @vsquare.bsky.social
Reposted by Szabolcs Panyi
🍲 I write a newsletter for @vsquare.bsky.social on Central Europe called Goulash—named after the dish we all love across the region. The next issue drops soon with fresh stories and scoops from the Visegrád countries (🇨🇿🇭🇺🇵🇱🇸🇰) and beyond.
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
November 26, 2025 at 1:27 PM
🍲 I write a newsletter for @vsquare.bsky.social on Central Europe called Goulash—named after the dish we all love across the region. The next issue drops soon with fresh stories and scoops from the Visegrád countries (🇨🇿🇭🇺🇵🇱🇸🇰) and beyond.
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
Fresh data shows Hungary’s population fell below 9.5M, down from just under 10M when Orbán took power in 2010 — despite mass naturalization of the diaspora and people moving to Hungary. Losses to Western Europe and the failure of “pro-family” policies still outweighed the gains.
📉🇭🇺 INVESTIGATION: Viktor Orbán vowed to boost Hungary’s population without immigrants. But births keep falling—and emigration is soaring. Direkt36's investigation shows many young people are leaving, posing serious risks for the country’s future.
Inside Viktor Orbán’s Failure to Achieve His Demographic Goal - VSquare.org
The Prime Minister has long said that he would like to grow the population of Hungary without bringing in immigrants. Recently, births have fallen, but the number of people leaving the country has also soared.
vsquare.org
November 27, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Fresh data shows Hungary’s population fell below 9.5M, down from just under 10M when Orbán took power in 2010 — despite mass naturalization of the diaspora and people moving to Hungary. Losses to Western Europe and the failure of “pro-family” policies still outweighed the gains.
👌🍲 Goulash is back this evening! Don’t miss our bi-weekly newsletter — this issue is going to be tasty, packed with fresh scoops and standout investigations from Central Europe’s top non-profit outlets.
📨 Subscribe: http://vsquare.org/n...
📨 Subscribe: http://vsquare.org/n...
November 27, 2025 at 7:11 AM
👌🍲 Goulash is back this evening! Don’t miss our bi-weekly newsletter — this issue is going to be tasty, packed with fresh scoops and standout investigations from Central Europe’s top non-profit outlets.
📨 Subscribe: http://vsquare.org/n...
📨 Subscribe: http://vsquare.org/n...
📉🇭🇺 INVESTIGATION: Viktor Orbán vowed to boost Hungary’s population without immigrants. But births keep falling—and emigration is soaring. Direkt36's investigation shows many young people are leaving, posing serious risks for the country’s future.
Inside Viktor Orbán’s Failure to Achieve His Demographic Goal - VSquare.org
The Prime Minister has long said that he would like to grow the population of Hungary without bringing in immigrants. Recently, births have fallen, but the number of people leaving the country has also soared.
vsquare.org
November 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
📉🇭🇺 INVESTIGATION: Viktor Orbán vowed to boost Hungary’s population without immigrants. But births keep falling—and emigration is soaring. Direkt36's investigation shows many young people are leaving, posing serious risks for the country’s future.
Reposted by Szabolcs Panyi
☕💡Independent investigations into corruption, espionage, and power abuses take time, resources, and risk. If you value my reporting on Russian influence and Orbán’s reach in Central Europe, you can support my work directly:
Szabolcs Panyi is doing investigative journalism & holding power to account - Buymeacoffee
Szia! 👋I’m a Budapest-based investigative journalist dedicated to uncovering corruption, abuse of power, and Russian and Chinese espionage and influence operations in Central Europe. I also work
buymeacoffee.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
☕💡Independent investigations into corruption, espionage, and power abuses take time, resources, and risk. If you value my reporting on Russian influence and Orbán’s reach in Central Europe, you can support my work directly:
Photo of Marcin Romanowski with the foundation’s director at the Hungarian government–funded Wacław Felczak Foundation’s gala event in Budapest this evening.
November 26, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Photo of Marcin Romanowski with the foundation’s director at the Hungarian government–funded Wacław Felczak Foundation’s gala event in Budapest this evening.
💥INVESTIGATION: For over a decade, ‘Pravfond’ has been providing legal aid to Russians abroad. Internal emails obtained by journalists show how it collaborated with Russian spies, funded propaganda efforts, and built points of influence along the way.
Russian Foundation, Aimed at Helping ‘Compatriots’ Abroad, Supports Spies, Criminals, and Propagandists - VSquare.org
For over a decade, ‘Pravfond’ has been providing legal aid to Russians across the world. Internal emails obtained by journalists show how it collaborated with spies, funded propaganda efforts, and built points of influence along the way.
vsquare.org
November 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
💥INVESTIGATION: For over a decade, ‘Pravfond’ has been providing legal aid to Russians abroad. Internal emails obtained by journalists show how it collaborated with Russian spies, funded propaganda efforts, and built points of influence along the way.
💥Bosnia's minister of defense refused to let the plane of Viktor Orbán’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó land in Banja Luka, citing Hungary’s support for secessionist leader Milorad Dodik and the lack of a clear explanation for why Szijjártó arrived on a military aircraft, N1 Info reported.
November 26, 2025 at 3:08 PM
💥Bosnia's minister of defense refused to let the plane of Viktor Orbán’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó land in Banja Luka, citing Hungary’s support for secessionist leader Milorad Dodik and the lack of a clear explanation for why Szijjártó arrived on a military aircraft, N1 Info reported.
💥SCOOP: Hungary’s gov't-funded Wacław Felczak Foundation, set up to strengthen Hungarian-Polish ties, holds its annual gala event today with Polish ex-deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski as guest of honor—a fugitive MP wanted for 11 financial crimes and sheltered by Orbán.
Very diplomatic.
Very diplomatic.
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
💥SCOOP: Hungary’s gov't-funded Wacław Felczak Foundation, set up to strengthen Hungarian-Polish ties, holds its annual gala event today with Polish ex-deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski as guest of honor—a fugitive MP wanted for 11 financial crimes and sheltered by Orbán.
Very diplomatic.
Very diplomatic.
🍲 I write a newsletter for @vsquare.bsky.social on Central Europe called Goulash—named after the dish we all love across the region. The next issue drops soon with fresh stories and scoops from the Visegrád countries (🇨🇿🇭🇺🇵🇱🇸🇰) and beyond.
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
November 26, 2025 at 1:27 PM
🍲 I write a newsletter for @vsquare.bsky.social on Central Europe called Goulash—named after the dish we all love across the region. The next issue drops soon with fresh stories and scoops from the Visegrád countries (🇨🇿🇭🇺🇵🇱🇸🇰) and beyond.
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
📨 Subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
Meanwhile, Orbán’s press office responded to my scoop by saying they would inform the press about the prime minister’s trips “in due time” — even as pro-Orbán media began publishing articles based on my report about the upcoming meeting.
🇭🇺✈️🇷🇺 SCOOP: Viktor Orbán will meet Putin in Moscow on Nov 28, a reliable source familiar with details of the trip told me. No official confirmation yet. They’ve met 3 times since 2022 & 14 times in total.
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
November 26, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Meanwhile, Orbán’s press office responded to my scoop by saying they would inform the press about the prime minister’s trips “in due time” — even as pro-Orbán media began publishing articles based on my report about the upcoming meeting.
Reposted by Szabolcs Panyi
🇭🇺✈️🇷🇺 SCOOP: Viktor Orbán will meet Putin in Moscow on Nov 28, a reliable source familiar with details of the trip told me. No official confirmation yet. They’ve met 3 times since 2022 & 14 times in total.
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
November 25, 2025 at 1:26 PM
🇭🇺✈️🇷🇺 SCOOP: Viktor Orbán will meet Putin in Moscow on Nov 28, a reliable source familiar with details of the trip told me. No official confirmation yet. They’ve met 3 times since 2022 & 14 times in total.
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
🇭🇺✈️🇷🇺 SCOOP: Viktor Orbán will meet Putin in Moscow on Nov 28, a reliable source familiar with details of the trip told me. No official confirmation yet. They’ve met 3 times since 2022 & 14 times in total.
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
November 25, 2025 at 1:26 PM
🇭🇺✈️🇷🇺 SCOOP: Viktor Orbán will meet Putin in Moscow on Nov 28, a reliable source familiar with details of the trip told me. No official confirmation yet. They’ve met 3 times since 2022 & 14 times in total.
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/
More in @vsquare.bsky.social’s newsletter on Thursday—subscribe here: vsquare.org/newsletter/