Orbán’s Big Test and Bulgaria’s Warning | Weekly News Roundup

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Sign up for the Brief Eastern Europe Weekly Newsletter! https://briefeasterneurope.eu/subscribeIn this week’s Talk Eastern Europe news roundup, Adam Reichardt, Alexandra Karppi and Nina Panikova break down the latest stories shaping Central and Eastern Europe.

We discuss the rising stakes ahead of Bulgaria’s snap parliamentary elections, including concerns over Russian interference, disinformation, and the political role of Rumen Radev. The conversation then turns to Hungary, where the team dissects the dramatic final stretch before the election, from the alleged pipeline sabotage plot and Viktor Orbán’s campaign tactics to high-profile backing from theUnited States, including J.D. Vance’s visit.

The episode also highlights this week’s deep-dive interviewon Poland, covering polarization, security, relations with the US and EU, and the growing influence of the far right.

For the Deep Dive on Poland – watch it here: https://youtu.be/1mDT4EJep2k?si=Xg8Qlt__fOJMiUnt

To close, the hosts reflect on a striking contrast in theregion: violent developments in Serbia alongside football euphoria in Bosnia and Herzegovina after a major World Cup qualifier upset.

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Check out our previous episode on Romania and foreigninterference: https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-208-foreign-interference-in-europe-and-the-case-of-romania

Read even more on Orban’s Ukraine narrative: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2026/04/07/orbans-ukraine-narrative/