In a moment that quietly reshapes the map of European allegiances, Hungary has expelled ten Russian diplomats — a concrete act of distancing from a partnership that Prime Minister Orbán long cultivated against the grain of Western consensus. The move, announced in September 2026, suggests that the calculus of proximity to Moscow has grown too costly, even for its most steadfast EU defender. Russia's vow of a harsh and painful response signals that this rupture will not pass without consequence, and that the architecture of European security is once again in motion.