In Uzhhorod, Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has expressed his intention to prevent Kyiv from commencing talks to become a member of the European Union, citing corruption and the infringement of tens of thousands of ethnic Hungarians’ rights in western Ukraine.
Some Hungarians from the mountainous region of Zakarpattia have found Orban’s arguments unconvincing.
Fedir Shandor, a prominent representative of the ethnic Hungarian community in Ukraine, asserts, “We represent the face of the Hungarian community, which, like all Ukrainian citizens, is fighting for European values.”
Shandor, a professor at Uzhhorod National University, reported that nearly 400 ethnic Hungarians are serving in the Ukrainian armed forces, fighting against Russia’s full-scale invasion that began in February 2022. He volunteered early in the war.
Furthermore, Hungarian civil organizations and city mayors have sent shipments of drones, warm clothing, and other equipment worth almost $3 million, Shandor added.
Meanwhile, Orban, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, continues to flaunt his connections with him.
As the debate over the rights of ethnic minorities to speak their languages in Ukrainian schools continues and thousands of Hungarians have fled in search of a new life elsewhere, many who remain prefer a future in Europe alongside Hungary.
This week, several leaders of the Hungarian community in Ukraine sent a letter to Orban and European Council chief Charles Michel calling for support for Kyiv’s EU accession.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also briefly spoke with Orban at the inauguration of Argentine President Javier Milei, then traveled to Washington for discussions with U.S. President Joe Biden and other political leaders.
Ahead of an EU summit on Dec. 14-15 at which Orban has threatened to veto proposals to allow Kyiv to commence talks to join the bloc and to receive substantial financial and military assistance, the urgency has intensified.
Ukraine is eager to join the EU in order to sever ties with Russia and establish alliances with the West. The provision of 50 billion euros in economic assistance and 20 billion euros for its military would be crucial for funding the war.
LANGUAGE TENSIONS
Relations between Kyiv and Budapest became strained after Ukraine enacted a law in 2017 mandating that all schools teach students over the age of 10 in the Ukrainian language. Local Hungarians objected, claiming that it violated their rights.
Attyla Kopryva, 52, an artist and professor at Zakarpattia Arts Academy, stated, “For the most part, I share the opinion of the Hungarian community, who want to learn in their native language at all levels of education.”
“You can encourage people to love learning the Ukrainian language, or you can compel them to learn the Ukrainian language,” he added, switching between Ukrainian and Hungarian in his home studio in Mukachevo, a town about 50 km (30 miles) from the border with Hungary and Slovakia. “This issue is very sensitive.”
Ukraine recently passed updated legislation addressing minority rights and permitting the use of EU languages, including Hungarian, in private schools, universities, media, and other spheres as it implements reforms to meet the EU’s criteria. Hungarian community leaders welcomed the law in their letter and expressed hope that it would be properly implemented.
Zoltan Babjak, mayor of Berehove, a town with a large Hungarian majority, stated, “We are certain that the long-awaited law will enable the Hungarian community to preserve its native language, heritage, and traditions.”
WAR AND EXODUS
Zakarpattia’s governor, Viktor Mykyta, informed Reuters that the region has experienced significant demographic shifts in recent years, especially since the onset of Russia’s invasion.
Many Ukrainians from the eastern and southern parts of the country viewed Zakarpattia as a safe haven, given its absence of a curfew and infrequent attacks from Russian missiles, and relocated there.
According to Mykyta, between 300,000 and 350,000 people have settled in larger towns, including the medieval regional center of Uzhhorod, boosting the region’s population by about a third.
Conversely, many ethnic Hungarians, particularly women, children, and young people, have departed. Officials noted that the community, once approximately 150,000 strong, now numbers about 80,000. They refrained from specifying the timeframe for the exodus, which has been ongoing for several years.
Some villages with a majority Hungarian population, such as Velyka Dobron and Dercen, have emptied out.
A school official in Velyka Dobron reported that a local Hungarian-language school had 10 fewer classes this year compared to the previous year in a town that had a pre-war population of around 5,000 people.
In Uzhhorod, the situation is similar.
Viktor Opalenyk, 31, an ethnic Hungarian tour guide from the city, remarked, “Many left. My classmates, who went to a Hungarian school with me – about 30-40% of them are now in Hungary, while the rest are somewhere else in Europe.” Sitting in a café in the heart of Uzhhorod, he added, “Only those who were integrated into the Ukrainian context remained.”
(Additional reporting by Anna Voitenko and Tom Peters; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alex Richardson)
