Ukraine says it has uncovered a spy network being run by the Hungarian state to obtain intelligence about its defences near their shared border.

Ukraine’s security service said it had detained two alleged Hungarian spies who it accused of gathering intelligence.

“For the first time in Ukraine’s history, the Security Service has exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network that was conducting espionage activities to the detriment of our state,” the [Ukraine Intelligence Agency] SBU said.

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Hungary is a member of the European Union and Nato - both firm allies of Ukraine - but Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly sided with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.

The alleged spy network was established by Hungary’s military intelligence with the aim of collecting data about the location and number of air defence systems, as well as law enforcement officers and their vehicles, in the western Zakarpattia region, the SBU said.

Zakarpattia is the western region of Ukraine that shares an 84-mile (137km) border with Hungary.

The spies had also been gathering information on the public sentiment among local residents to predict their response in the event of a Hungarian incursion, according to the SBU.