KYIV — Ukrainian security services arrested two Ukrainian nationals it said were working for Hungarian military intelligence near the countries’ shared border.

The agents were collecting information about numbers of troops, military bases, weapons and jets in western Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region, as well as poking around about how the local population would react if Hungarian soldiers crossed the border, said SBU spokesperson Artem Dehtiarenko in a statement Friday.

The relationship between Budapest and Kyiv is extremely fraught, due in part to the close relationship Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has maintained with Russian leader Vladimir Putin while the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine drags on.

“Agents were also searching for weak spots in land and air defense of the region, and were also studying the political views of the local population. In particular: How they would behave if a peacekeeping force, Hungarian troops in particular, entered the region,” Dehtiarenko added.

As evidence, the SBU showed a video in which two Ukrainian nationals from Zakarpattia, a man and a woman — both previously of the Ukrainian army — admit they were working for Hungarian military intelligence, collecting information for money.

“The results of the investigation showed their curator was a staff officer of the Hungarian military intelligence. SBU already identified him,” Dehtiarenko said.

Top officials in Budapest scoffed at the allegations from Kyiv.

“This should be considered Ukrainian propaganda that should be treated with caution. Once we receive any official information, we can deal with it,” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told local media outlet ATV.

If found guilty, both suspects face life in prison for committing state treason during wartime.