Hungary undermines Transcarpathia. Why Orban needs Ukrainian prisoners of war?

By doing so, the current Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has only reinforced his absolutely unfriendly attitude toward Ukraine. And no one knows whether, if Ukraine had fallen last winter, he would have taken prisoners of war on the streets of Transcarpathia.

It took almost a week for our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Commissioner for Missing Persons to find out the names and personal data of the prisoners of war. It became known that their relatives had already seen them in Hungary, but the Hungarian government did not explain the reasons for not letting them go home.

It's worth looking at who Orban pulled off this PR campaign with.

For the first time, information that the Hungarian government had taken a group of prisoners of war appeared on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church. It stated that this happened within the framework of international church cooperation, but at the request of the Hungarian side. And that the transferred soldiers could have been of “Transcarpathian origin.” Therefore, they probably had a drop of Hungarian blood or, in addition to their Ukrainian passport, a Hungarian passport.

“Therefore, this can be seen as another attempt by Hungary, with the help of Russia, to stir up the 'Hungarian issue' in Ukraine under the guise of war.”

There are more than enough reasons. The fact is that back in winter, at Hungary's insistence, the law on national minorities was sent to the Venice Commission for review.

It is worth recalling the rhetoric of Orban's right-hand man, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, in January of this year that “there is a concentrated, serious attack on the Hungarian community in Ukraine.”

The law, which was passed by the Verkhovna Rada in December 2022, is a 'nightmare.' “Hungarian teachers and school principals are being dismissed en masse without justification, and Hungarian institutions are being forced to remove their Hungarian national symbols - these are signs of a serious anti-Hungarian attack. The EU must also act against this. It is unacceptable that anyone can raise this as a bilateral issue,” Szijjártó explained the reasons why Hungary complained about Ukraine to the Venice Commission.

So, in order to put Kyiv in a hopeless situation, the Hungarians played a trick and decided to manipulate the issue of our prisoners of war.

For Russia, it was just a stroke of luck and an incredible match. The fact is that it is now very important for Moscow to stir up the issue of 'separatism' and interethnic conflicts somewhere else besides the frontline. It is also very convenient for the Russian Federation to maintain the presence of the Party of Regions, the Opposition Platform for Life, and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has several churches in each community.

In addition, it is important for Putin to preserve his important wallet and network of influence and avoid serious sanctions against Patriarch Kirill and the ROC.

“Last year, the issue of personal sanctions against Patriarch Kirill was seriously raised twice at the EU level. And twice Orban personally crossed out this name with the argument that "no religious figure should be oppressed.”

Kirill's gratitude was not long in coming. He constantly thanks Orban for “supporting the activities of the Budapest Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.” And in early June, on the occasion of the anniversary, he awarded Orban the Order of Glory and Honor, first class, “for his contribution to strengthening traditional moral values in European society.”

Interesting details about this alliance between Hungary and the Russian Federation were found by Ukrainian human rights activist and columnist for Focus magazine Tetiana Katrychenko:

“According to the sources, a few months before, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary addressed Minister Shemien. He said that 11 people with 'Hungarian origin' and some with 'Hungarian citizenship' are currently being held captive by the Russian Federation. And if the Hungarian authorities appeal to Russia, it will be ready to release them and transfer them to Hungary. One of the conditions was that such a return should be carried out by churchmen, and that official Budapest would not inform Kyiv about it. In the end, as the Hungarians say, they only facilitated the transfer of the soldiers to the EU by plane by an international Roman Catholic organization, the Maltese Aid Service.”

So we have a case where many years of turning a blind eye to the uncontrolled distribution of Hungarian passports in Transcarpathia and the hanging of turuls on every bathroom has yielded very unpleasant results.

Read also:  Orban and his "European unity"

According to our constitution, we have to protect our citizens, but the Hungarian constitution also states that, regardless of where ethnic Hungarians live, the government is obliged to protect them. Orban has been building his career for 20 years on the image of the “number one defender of the Hungarian nation.”

So now the Ukrainian government faces a serious challenge to respond to the Orban-Szijjártó duo. And to prevent Hungary from encroaching on our Transcarpathia under the pretext of protecting the 'Hungarian minority,' including Ukrainian citizens mobilized to the Armed Forces.

“Obviously, we cannot do without our allies, and in particular our neighbors who also have conflicts with Hungary - Slovakia, Romania, and Poland. It is worth recalling Orban's appearance with a scarf with a map of 'Greater Hungary' - and the reaction of those to whom Budapest has territorial claims.”

It is crucial to convey to the EU and the US, NATO and the EU - all the structures and countries from which the Hungarian government regularly demands money to support its pants and populism - why Orban is wrong. And why his alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church-which regularly blesses the Russian army to kill Ukrainians-is a threat to the whole of Europe, to put it mildly.

This is also a challenge for our future policy. We cannot withdraw our 128th heroic brigade from the front and send it to guard the border with Hungary. But it is in our power, given how important a business hub Uzhhorod and Mukachevo have become with the influx of refugees and IT companies, to level the Hungarian influence.

It's time to actively engage in Ukrainian politics in Transcarpathia and prevent Hungarians from labeling their territory Turul under the pretext of protecting the national minority. This is the territory of our Trident. And even if there may be something partially Hungarian there, we still have to respect the host in the house. His word is the main one, and guests wash their hands and take off their shoes at the entrance.

Specially for Espreso

About the author. Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist.

The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.