The pipeline, known as Balkan Stream, is an extension of TurkStream, which carries Russian gas through Serbia to Hungary...

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that authorities had discovered explosives near a key gas pipeline supplying Hungary, raising security concerns ahead of a closely contested election there.

Vucic said army and police units found two backpacks containing “two large packages of explosives with detonators” in Kanjiza, a few hundred metres from the pipeline.

Vucic said he had informed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of the findings, adding that initial investigations were conducted by military and police authorities.

Orban described the pipeline as “critical gas infrastructure” and convened an emergency meeting of Hungary’s national defence council.

Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar cast doubt on the incident, suggesting it could be a “false flag” operation aimed at influencing next Sunday’s election.

“For weeks, we’ve been receiving warnings… that something might ‘accidentally’ happen in Serbia, possibly involving a gas pipeline, around Easter,” Magyar said in a post on X, calling for inclusion in the emergency meeting.

Serbian authorities did not provide details on possible motives. Vucic said there were “certain traces” that could not yet be disclosed but praised intelligence services for their response.

He warned the explosives could have endangered lives and caused significant damage to the pipeline.

Serbia, a candidate for European Union membership, relies heavily on Russian gas supplies, while Hungary also depends on imports from Russia.

The incident comes amid tensions over energy supplies in the region, with Orban recently accusing Ukraine of delaying repairs to another pipeline route, a dispute that has strained ties within the European Union ahead of Hungary’s election.