A senior Russian diplomat with direct family connections to a former Siberian governor who accompanied Vladimir Putin on fishing expeditions has emerged as the Kremlin’s primary channel to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, according to diplomatic sources and public records.
Diplomatic conduit between Moscow and Budapest
Tigran Garibyan, the counsellor-minister at Russia’s embassy in Budapest, regularly serves as interpreter during meetings between the Russian president and Hungarian leader, travelling to Moscow specifically for such encounters when they occur in the Russian capital. His presence alongside both leaders was first documented in August 2019 during the World Judo Championships in Budapest, with subsequent appearances during high-level negotiations in February 2022 and again last November during Orban’s visit to Moscow. Garibyan joined Russia’s foreign ministry in 2004, with his first posting to Hungary following in 2006. After a two-year return to Moscow headquarters beginning in 2012, he resumed Budapest duties as counsellor before becoming counsellor-minister in 2023, making him the second-highest ranking official at the diplomatic mission.
Family connections to Putin’s inner circle
The diplomat is married to Oksana Garibyan-Zimina, daughter of former Khakassia governor Viktor Zimin who accompanied President Putin during a much-publicised Siberian fishing and spearfishing expedition in August 2017. Zimin, who governed the Siberian republic from 2009 until 2018, was photographed alongside Putin, then-Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Tyva leader Sholban Kara-ool during the two-day wilderness trip. Following his electoral defeat in 2018, Zimin served briefly as deputy director general of Russian Railways before dying from COVID-19 in 2020. Garibyan’s brother, Artem, heads the project financing and direct investments directorate at Promsvyazbank, a state bank designated as the primary lender for Russia’s defence industry.
Alleged election interference campaign
European intelligence officials report Garibyan’s involvement in what they describe as a Kremlin-supported campaign to bolster Orban and his Fidesz party ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections. According to security service sources, the diplomat regularly meets with pro-government Hungarian journalists, providing instructions for social media operations promoting narratives that position Orban as the sole candidate capable of protecting Hungarian sovereignty. Intelligence reporting from March 2024 detailed similar interactions with Hungarian media outlets preceding European Parliament elections.
Additional translator faces scrutiny
Separately, another interpreter previously used by President Putin now faces controversy regarding election observation missions. Daria Boyarskaya, who interpreted for Putin during his June 2019 meeting with US President Donald Trump in Japan, has joined an Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe election observation team in Hungary. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee has demanded her removal from the mission, recalling previous comments by former US deputy assistant to the president Fiona Hill, who suggested Boyarskaya had been selected specifically to distract President Trump during negotiations.
Strategic relationship under examination
The emergence of a diplomat with such specific personal connections handling the Kremlin’s relationship with Budapest highlights the particular attention Moscow pays to maintaining dialogue with one of the European Union’s most Russia-sceptic bloc members. Orban’s continued engagement with Moscow despite the Ukraine conflict has positioned Hungary uniquely within European politics, with diplomatic channels like Garibyan’s facilitating this ongoing relationship outside conventional foreign ministry protocols.
