Hungary's incoming prime minister, Peter Magyar , is said to have a remarkable talent for turning situations to his advantage, often with small, highly impactful gestures.

It's a skill no other politician in the country's recent history has demonstrated to quite the same degree and one that undoubtedly played a major role in the historic election victory of his Tisza party on April 12 .

One incident that illustrated this talent — and subsequently went viral in Hungary — took place at a campaign event in a small town in the south of the country in early April.

On catching sight of journalists from a pro-Kremlin Moscow newspaper, Magyar called out: "I welcome the Russian propaganda media.…