Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held telephone talks with his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó on 9 September, discussing Russian escalation and Ukraine’s European integration prospects, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry press service.

“During our call, I informed Péter Szijjártó about Russia’s escalation of terror and reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to peace efforts,” Sybiha said.

He emphasized that Ukraine needs “consolidated support of international community to increase pressure on Russia and advance peace process.”

The ministers addressed upcoming bilateral engagements, including Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka’s planned visit to Budapest and other future contacts between the two countries. Sybiha noted they would hold consultations on Hungarian national minority rights the following day.

“Ukraine is ready to work on all bilateral issues in a mutually respectful manner,” the Ukrainian foreign minister said, according to the ministry’s statement.

Sybiha pressed his Hungarian colleague on Ukraine’s EU accession timeline, underlining “the need to open negotiation clusters in Ukraine’s EU accession talks as soon as possible and secure all EU member states to support this step.”

The Ukrainian minister welcomed Hungary’s recent energy deal, praising the country’s “10-year gas supply agreement with Shell as a milestone step toward strengthening energy security for our region and all of Europe.”

The diplomatic outreach comes after recent tensions between the two foreign ministries over strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline and Ukraine’s EU membership prospects. Following these public disagreements, Sybiha had called on his Hungarian counterpart to engage in direct dialogue rather than social media disputes.

European intelligence services have dismantled a spy network run by Belarus’ KGB across several EU states, the Czech counterintelligence agency (BIS) announced on 8 September evening. Among the suspects is Alexandru Balan, a former deputy head of Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) and later a diplomat to Ukraine, who was arrested in Romania.

The case highlights how Belarus continues to serve as a channel for Russian influence and espionage inside the EU, testing European security architecture and raising calls for tighter controls on Belarusian and Russian diplomatic movements across Schengen states.

Network linked to Belarus’ KGB

According to BIS, operatives from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania uncovered the network, which relied heavily on Belarusian diplomatic cover to move agents across Europe. The operation was coordinated under the supervision of the EU’s judicial cooperation agency Eurojust.

The Czech Foreign Ministry later confirmed the expulsion of a Belarusian diplomat involved in the case, who was given 72 hours to leave the country. 

“To successfully counter these hostile activities in Europe, we need to restrict the movement of accredited diplomats from Russia and Belarus within the Schengen area,” BIS chief Michal Koudelka stated.

Moldovan connection revealed

Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT said that between 2024 and 2025, the Moldovan suspect met twice with Belarusian KGB officers in Budapest. Investigators have “reasonable suspicion” that the meetings involved transmitting instructions and receiving payments in exchange for state secrets, compromising Romania’s national security.

Romanian and Moldovan media later confirmed the suspect’s identity as Alexandru Balan, a former deputy director of the SIS. Possessing both Moldovan and Romanian citizenship, Balan is accused of leaking classified information and high treason in favour of the Belarusian spy institution (KGB).

Diplomatic mission in Ukraine

After leaving Moldova’s intelligence service, Balan was appointed as a diplomat at the Moldovan Embassy in Kyiv. This fact was not highlighted in this particular case, but it raises a significant concern regarding Mr. Balan’s previous record of activities within his diplomatic position. 

The case highlights the vulnerability of diplomatic postings during wartime and the regional risks posed by compromised officials.

Balan’s record of abuses

Commenting to the Romanian press, Moldova’s former Defense Minister Anatol Salaru described Balan as “the main anti-Romania figure in Moldova’s SIS.” 

Salaru accused him of recruiting Bessarabian students in Romania for intelligence purposes, orchestrating bribery schemes, and protecting criminals.

Balan also played a role in the notorious 2018 case, when Turkish teachers from a Turkish-Romanian high school in Chișinău were kidnapped and handed over to Ankara at the request of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The teachers were taken directly from the streets of Chișinău, flown to Türkiye, and immediately jailed, leaving their families behind.

Wider security implications

The exposure of Belarus’ European spy network comes as Minsk deepens its alignment with Moscow. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and later approved the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear missiles. 

Belarus, under dictator Alexander Lukashenko, remains a close ally of Russia. Moscow not only uses Belarusian territory to stage its war against Ukraine but also seeks to empower pro-Russian forces in neighboring countries, including Moldova. The spy network thus illustrates a broader Kremlin strategy to undermine security across Eastern Europe and destabilize Ukraine’s allies.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has once again declared that Budapest will not support Ukraine’s EU membership, emphasizing that the state is not interested in Moscow’s opinion on this matter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called for dialogue.

Szijjarto outlined Hungary’s position following a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Council President António Costa on 5 September.

The politicians’ meeting included discussions about EU accession. During a briefing, Zelenskyy said: “If even Putin does not object [to Ukraine’s EU membership], then the positions of some countries, especially Hungary, really look strange.”

According to the Hungarian diplomat, the Ukrainian president was presenting his own reasoning. “Unlike him, our position is not determined from abroad. We are not interested in what they think in Moscow about Ukraine’s EU membership,” he declared.

The minister added that Budapest is interested in what Hungarians think. Szijjarto referenced a referendum by the Hungarian government, in which the country’s citizens allegedly opposed Ukraine’s membership in the bloc due to supposed threats to farmers, the labor market, and security.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha responded to this statement. He emphasized that Ukraine’s EU accession poses no threat to Hungary.

According to him, the Hungarian farmers mentioned by Szijjarto have never blocked the Ukrainian-Hungarian border, and this year they are actively purchasing Ukrainian corn.

EU accession also does not threaten the Hungarian labor market, since before the full-scale invasion by Russia, Hungary’s government actively invited Ukrainians to work to compensate for the shortage of skilled labor.

Furthermore, the Hungarian community of Zakarpattia also supports joining the bloc.

“Instead of quarrels on Twitter, let’s meet and have a meaningful discussion. I am confident that we can reach pragmatic solutions in good faith — for the sake of our peoples’ common interests of peace and security in a united Europe,” Sybiha emphasized.

Ukraine’s EU accession

All 27 EU member states have already given the “green light” to begin negotiations with Ukraine on joining the bloc, however, Hungary is blocking them.

Last year, Budapest presented Ukraine with a list of 11 demands to unblock the path to the European Union. All of them are aimed at strengthening protection of national minority rights in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side traveled to Budapest with additional proposals for resolving the entire complex of issues. Ukraine and Hungary then agreed from 12 May to organize regular consultations to work on the stated demands. However, Budapest postponed such consultations due to the detention of Hungarian spies by Ukraine’s Security Service in early May.

Hungarian authorities conducted a so-called consultative referendum in their country regarding Ukraine’s EU membership, following which they announced that 95% of votes were against. Orbán himself claimed that Ukraine’s EU membership would cause “the destruction of the European Union” and war with Russia on EU territory.

Lithuania proposed starting negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on the first chapter of EU membership without Hungary’s consent. It is proposed that after approval by 26 member states, negotiations would take place at a technical level, de facto, and later an official agreement would be reached legally when all 27 EU states approve it, if Viktor Orbán’s position or that of the entire Hungarian government changes.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on 30 August that Budapest will block the opening of substantive negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership, citing concerns over agriculture, security, and energy costs.

Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, has been actively vetoing Ukraine’s accession process to the European Union. Viktor Orbán is widely regarded as a close ally of Vladimir Putin, positioning Hungary as a key supporter of Russian interests within the EU. 

Speaking after an informal EU foreign ministers meeting in Copenhagen, Szijjarto said Hungary “will not allow the substantive part of the accession negotiations, i.e., the specific rounds of the negotiations, to be opened,” according to Hungarian media reports.

The minister justified the position by claiming Ukraine’s EU membership “would destroy Hungarian farmers, Hungary’s food security, and allow the Ukrainian mafia to enter Hungary.”

Szijjarto accused Brussels and most EU member states of prioritizing war continuation over peace negotiations.

“Brussels and most European Union member states are preparing for the long-term continuation of the Ukrainian war, are not interested in the success of peace negotiations, and are ready to send many more thousands of billions of forints to Ukraine,” he said.

The Hungarian official criticized the European Commission for acting “practically as a Ukrainian Commission, completely representing Ukraine’s interests, contrary to the interests of member states” during the Copenhagen discussions.

Hungary outlined four specific areas where it will maintain opposition to EU policy on Ukraine. The country will continue supporting US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts, as “only an American-Russian agreement can bring about a settlement,” Szijjarto said.

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia’s invasion in 2022 and received candidate status within months. However, Hungary’s veto power as an EU member allows it to block further progress.

The Hungarian position comes amid broader EU discussions about Ukraine’s integration path and continued financial support. Hungary has consistently opposed aid packages to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia throughout the conflict.

On 13 August, Szijjarto condemned a Ukrainian drone strike on a distribution station of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast. Hungary relies on this pipeline for most of its crude oil imports and remains one of two EU countries, along with Slovakia, still importing Russian oil via Druzhba under EU sanctions exemptions.

A secret document has exposed Hungary as the Kremlin’s “Trojan horse” inside the EU, say InformNapalm investigators. They have obtained a letter revealing the so-called “Ansat” project, a scheme discussed at the level of the Hungarian government with Russia’s state-owned Helicopters of Russia.

The plan was to use Hungary as a platform for legalizing and assembling Russian military equipment, which would then be exported under a “European” brand.

“While most EU countries stand with Ukraine and comply with sanctions, Budapest has become a gateway for Moscow to bypass restrictions and advance its military-industrial interests,” says InformPalm. 

How Hungary helped the Kremlin bypass sanctions

The document confirms that:

• The project was presented to Hungary’s Ministry of Finance and discussed at the government level.
• A joint working group was created with Hungarian officials, including a deputy state secretary of the Finance and Economy Ministry.
• Coordination was entrusted to Armitech Industries Ltd. in Budapest, a company openly lobbying for Russian interests.

Sanctions did not stop Moscow

The evidence shows that even after sanctions were imposed, the Kremlin actively built channels inside the EU to circumvent them. Hungary turned out to be one of its links, willing to shield Russia’s defense projects.

Orbán and political blockades in the EU and NATO

“Every time Orbán blocks EU aid to Ukraine or vetoes NATO decisions, remember: this is not just politics but direct collusion with Russia’s defense industry,” InformNapalm stresses.

Earlier, Hungary banned a top Ukrainian drone unit commander from entering the country and the Schengen zone after strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline.

Hungarian officials called the pipeline vital for their country’s as Hungary is still receiving Russian oil and financing Moscow’s war machine against Ukraine, despite the fourth year of Russia’s all-out war. 

Hungary bans Ukrainian commander over Russian pipeline hit — latest sign of Budapest acting as Kremlin’s proxy in EU

The recent Ukrainian drone strikes have forced Russia’s Ust-Luga oil export terminal on the Baltic Sea coast to cut operations by half for September, Reuters reports. The disruption follows earlier drone attacks on pipeline infrastructure, and has triggered emergency rerouting of crude exports to other ports.

Damage affects flows to key terminal

Two industry sources told Reuters that Ust-Luga will operate at about 350,000 barrels per day—roughly half its normal capacity. The slowdown comes after Ukrainian drone strikes earlier in August targeted the Unecha pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast. Unecha is a crucial node in the pipeline system that feeds Ust-Luga and is also linked to the Druzhba pipeline.

The drone attacks have affected crude flows not only to Ust-Luga but also through the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies Belarus, Slovakia, and Hungary. Slovakia said on 28 August that initial supplies via the Druzhba line had resumed in test mode.

Crude redirected as repair work begins

The Reuters sources did not clarify which pipeline was damaged but said that repair work was underway. However, there is no clear timeline for when full capacity at Ust-Luga will be restored. To limit export losses, oil volumes are being redirected to Russia’s Primorsk and Novorossiisk ports.

Hungary has banned a Ukrainian commander from entering the country and the Schengen zone after strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline. The move was announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in a Facebook video on 28 August.

Hungary frames attacks against the pipeline in Russia as a threat to its sovereignty

In his FB video, Szijjártó said Ukraine had launched several strikes against the Druzhba oil pipeline, which he called vital for his country’s energy supply, adding that Hungary considers “every single attack against our energy security as an attack committed against our sovereignty.“

“Without the Druzhba pipeline, Hungary cannot be supplied with oil,” he claimed, adding, “Ukraine knows this precisely. Ukraine is fully aware that the pipeline is indispensable for Hungary’s secure energy supply.”

The minister stated that the strikes harmed Hungary and Slovakia more than Russia, without addressing why, in the fourth year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hungary remains fully dependent on Russian oil despite available alternatives, or that Hungary’s payments for this oil in effect bankroll Moscow’s war machine against Ukraine.

“Ukraine knows very well that the attacks against the Druzhba oil pipeline harm Hungary and, of course, Slovakia much more than Russia,” Szijjártó said.

He described the latest strike as “extremely serious,” adding that “restoration work took so long that we almost had to use strategic, or emergency, reserves.”

Ban on Ukrainian commander

Szijjártó announced that Hungary’s response would be to bar the commander of the Ukrainian unit behind the strike.

“We have therefore made the decision that the commander of the military unit which carried out the most recent extremely serious attacks against the Druzhba oil pipeline will be banned from Hungary and from the entire Schengen area,” he said. “This Ukrainian citizen will not be able to enter Hungary or the Schengen zone for the coming years.”

The Hungarian Prime Minister did not name the Ukrainian military officer targeted by the ban. The most likely candidate is Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces and an ethnic Hungarian.

He had previously claimed responsibility for the latest strike on the Druzhba pipeline, adding the 1956 Hungarian resistance slogan to his post: “Ruszkik haza!” (“Russians, go home!”).

Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Druzhba’s pumping stations on 19 and 21 August.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional details from Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

A bus carrying Ukrainian children veered off the road and overturned on a Hungarian highway on July 6, leaving 21 people injured, Ukraine's embassy in Hungary reported.

The accident occurred at around 5 a.m. local time between the settlements of Kunszentmarton and Tiszafoldvar. According to preliminary information, the driver lost control of the bus and veered off the road into a ditch. Further details as to the cause of the crash have not yet been determined.

The bus was carrying a children's ensemble from the Ukrainian city of Lviv to Ohrid in North Macedonia for a dance festival. There were 77 people aboard at the time of the accident, including two drivers, chaperones, and ensemble members.

Twenty-one people were injured, with four of them reported to be in serious condition. Two of the seriously injured victims are teenagers (ages 14 and 18) while the other two are adults (ages 67 and 71). Four more children suffered moderate injuries, while the remaining victims suffered minor injuries.

No one was killed, according to the embassy's statement.

The victims were transferred to hospitals in the towns of Szolnok, Kecskemetre, and Szentes.

Rescuers are working at the crash site, along with Ukrainian Ambassador Fegyir Sandor and consuls assisting Ukrainian citizens.

The rest of the passengers are staying temporarily at the Kunszentmarton Cultural Center, where they have been provided food and a place to rest. Those suffering moderate and mild injuries will join the main group at this location.

The bus carrier is reportedly taking measures to prevent additional accidents.

Ukraine war latest: Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 1 dead, 26 injured

Key developments on July 4: * ‘Nothing but terror and murder’ — Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 1 dead, 26 injured * Zelensky, Trump discuss air defense, joint drone production amid Russian strikes * ‘There is also good news’ — Ukrainian drones hit key military optics plant in Russia, General Staff

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on June 29 that Washington has lifted sanctions that hindered the expansion of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, where Russia's state-owned energy company Rosatom is to build two new reactors.

"Construction of the major pieces of equipment for the Paks nuclear plant is proceeding in Russia and France," Szijjarto said, as cited by Bloomberg.

"On-site in Paks, construction can now proceed at a faster pace."

The expansion project, which has endured significant delays, is led by Rosatom and will add to the four active reactors.

The anti-Russian sanctions were imposed by former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration. The U.S. has not reacted to Szijjarto's comments so far.

Since returning to the Oval Office in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has tried to push Russia and Ukraine into peace talks to end the war at all costs and has not yet imposed additional sanctions on Russia for its ongoing war against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia has found loopholes to circumvent sanctions, such as using its shadow fleet or relying on other financial mechanisms.

Hungary's Energy Minister Csaba Lantos said in 2023 that he expects the Paks II to be finished in 2032.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's commissioner for sanctions, said the situation with the expansion of the nuclear plant is "much more complicated." He accused the Hungarian foreign minister of "manipulation."

Vlasiuk explained in a Facebook post that Paks faces a sanctions exemption from the EU. The U.S. has not lifted the sanctions, though there is a new licence that offers the possibility of conducting transactions related to civilian nuclear energy that began prior to November 2024.

EU fails to adopt new Russia sanctions due to Hungarian, Slovak opposition, source says

Unlike Ukraine-skeptic Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Slovakia has not previously attempted to block EU sanctions.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Editor's note: The story was updated with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's statement voiced during the EU summit.

EU ambassadors have failed to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia due to opposition from Hungary and Slovakia, an unnamed EU official told the Kyiv Independent on June 27.

After the 17th package of sanctions against Russia took effect on May 20, Ukraine's allies announced the following day that another round of restrictions was already in the works. Meanwhile, officials in Hungary and Slovakia protested against the approval of new restrictions against Russia.

Unlike Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has consistently opposed sanctions against Russia, Slovakia has not previously attempted to block EU sanctions.

"No agreement was reached. Ambassadors will return to this issue after two reservations are removed," the source told Suspilne in a reference to the position of Slovakia and Hungary.

Slovakia has requested that the adoption of the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia be postponed until a decision is made on the consequences for the member states from RePowerEU, the European Commission's initiative to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2030 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico voiced this proposal during the EU summit, the Slovak Foreign Ministry told Suspilne.

The ambassadors also agreed to extend sectoral sanctions against Russia for six months. These sanctions encompass a broad array of economic areas, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury goods.

In June, the European Commission presented the 18th package of sanctions, which includes new restrictions against the Russian energy and banking sectors and transactions related to the Nord Stream gas pipeline project.

Ukraine's European allies are tightening sanctions against Russia as Moscow refuses to accept a ceasefire. Despite Russia's refusal, no new U.S. sanctions have been imposed so far.

Warfare in Ukraine has changed… again

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains a new modification of the standard first-person view (FPV) drone that already once transformed the way war is fought. Fiber optic cable now used to connect drone operators to FPVs ensures a perfect image and control experience all the way to the target — and cannot be spotted by enemy drone detectors.

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

The European Council failed to unanimously adopt a statement of support for Ukraine during its June 26 meeting in Brussels, after Hungary once again failed to support it.

On the eve of the European Council summit, Hungary's government announced on June 26 that 95% of participants in a so-called "national consultation" opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU.

The highly-particized plebiscite, promoted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, has already drawn criticism over its credibility and turnout, raising concerns that Orban may use its results to justify future resistance to Ukraine’s EU accession.

To register their "vote" in the national consultation, Hungarian citizens received their "ballot" in the post, together with a letter from Orban urging people to vote against.

According to the European Council's statement, the document found "firmly supported" by 26 out of the 27 states. All EU states, except Hungary, reaffirmed Ukraine's "inherent right to choose its own destiny" and support for the country's "path towards EU membership."

"The European Council commends Ukraine for the pace of its accession-related reforms under the most challenging circumstances, welcomes the significant progress achieved, and encourages Ukraine and the Commission to intensify work in the accession process," the statement read.

EU member states also agreed to take note of the Commission’s assessment that Ukraine is ready to open the Fundamentals cluster. However, formal negotiations can only begin with the unanimous consent of all 27 member states.

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia launched its war in 2022 and was granted candidate status within months.

As an EU member, Hungary has veto power over further progress.

Orban said he voted against Ukraine's accession to the EU in the consultation, publicly sharing photos of himself marking "against" on the poll ballot. He warned earlier this year that allowing Kyiv to join the EU would "destroy" Hungary.

With Trump disengaged and EU complacent, Ukrainian reforms lose momentum

Russia’s all-out war has accelerated Ukraine’s push to join the European Union and NATO, as well as its dependency on Western loans and aid. Before, these things would have been heavily preconditioned on Ukraine implementing crucial reforms. However, the war has also eased the pressure on Kyiv to carry out

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Hungary's government announced on June 26 that 95% of participants in a national consultation opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU, Hungarian news outlet Telex reported.

The poll, promoted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, has already drawn criticism over its credibility and turnout. Telex reported that the system could be manipulated — testing showed that users were able to vote twice using different email addresses.

According to Telex, 2,278,000 people participated in the consultation — approximately 29% of the electorate that voted in the 2024 European Parliament elections. Of those, the government claimed 95% voted against Ukraine joining the EU, while only 5% supported the bid.

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia launched its war in 2022 and was granted candidate status within months. As an EU member, Hungary has veto power over further progress.

The consultation results were released on the eve of the European Council summit, giving Orban leverage to delay Ukraine's membership. But the process itself has drawn skepticism.

Government spokesman Gergely Gulyas claimed printed ballots were notarized and secure, and that electronic votes, which made up 10% of the total, were being verified. However, he could not confirm whether the system could detect if someone voted both by mail and online.

Opposition leader Peter Magyar on June 22 dismissed the consultation as a "government propaganda campaign" and cited internal data from Magyar Posta indicating that only 3-7% of mailed ballots were returned.

"It's the lowest-ever turnout for any such consultation," Magyar wrote on social media.

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Since 2010, Orban's government has conducted more than a dozen similar national consultations — non-binding letter campaigns with leading questions designed to reinforce government positions.

Previous campaigns targeted topics like LGBTQ rights and EU migration policy. In one 2023 consultation, voters were asked whether they supported Brussels' alleged plans to create "migrant ghettos" in Hungary — 99% voted no, with turnout under 20%.

On April 22, Orban said he voted against Ukraine's accession to the EU in the consultation, publicly sharing photos of himself marking "against" on the poll ballot. He warned earlier this year that allowing Kyiv to join the EU would "destroy" Hungary.

Orban, the EU's most openly pro-Russian leader, has blocked or delayed military aid to Ukraine, maintained close ties with President Vladimir Putin, and echoed Kremlin talking points.

Hungary's opposition and Western critics view his administration as increasingly authoritarian, citing the erosion of press freedom, judicial independence, and electoral fairness.

Despite the low turnout and widespread allegations of manipulation, Orban is expected to use the consultation's outcome to justify future obstruction of Ukraine's EU integration.

Hungary’s soft power meets Ukraine’s hard reality in Zakarpattia

BEREHOVE, Zakarpattia Oblast — Thin gray smoke drifts beyond the patchwork of Soviet-era apartment blocks, historical buildings, and hillside vineyards that make up Berehove — the heart of the Hungarian community in Ukraine’s westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast. “That’s Hungary, over there, where you see the smoke,” gestures Vitalii Antipov, a member of the local council, toward the not-so-distant horizon. He stands on top of a hill adorned by a massive white cross with a makeshift inscription thank

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Hungary's national consultation on Ukraine's accession to the EU had the lowest ever turnout at such a poll, Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar said on June 21.

"The... government propaganda campaign is a total failure. Based on information we received from multiple sources within Magyar Posta (Hungarian Post), only 3-7% of the sent 'ballots' were returned," Magyar said in a post to social media.

The poll was announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in early March and officially launched on April 19 with ballot papers sent to Hungarian citizens. Many ballot papers explicitly encouraged voters to reject Ukraine’s EU bid.

Orban, on April 22, said he voted against Ukraine's accession to the EU in the national consultation, publicly sharing photos of himself marking "against" on the poll ballot.

"This means that realistically, a maximum of 500,000 people may have 'voted' on paper... the Prime Minister’s Office revealed... that the number of online submissions was negligible compared to the paper-based ones," Magyar said.

"This aligns with information received from government sources — indicating that despite the propaganda lies, the total number of 'voters' could be at most 600,000," he added.

Despite the government's resistance, polling shows public support for Ukraine's accession to the bloc. According to Magyar's opposition party, Tisza's "Voice of the Nation" initiative, which received over 1.1 million responses, 58.18% of participants supported Ukraine's EU bid.

Magyar claims that the national poll garnered around 600,000 responses would mean that the opposition party's own polling received more responses than the government poll.

"This is the lowest number in the 'glorious' history of (national consultations). And this was only achieved over several months, with total mobilization and the burning of tens of billions in public funds. A total failure," Magyar said.

Hungarian officials have repeatedly threatened to undermine Ukraine's EU candidacy and EU support for Ukraine. Hungary has repeatedly blocked or delayed EU aid packages for Kyiv.

"(T)he failed, corrupt regime doesn’t care about people's real problems, and doesn’t dare to look people in the eye. They only send them letters," Magyar said.

Comrades, be proud of lying about two million pen pals, funded by 10 billion forints ($29 million) in state propaganda," he added, addressing Hungary's ruling government.

European officials have denounced Hungary for aligning with Russia. European officials, including Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, have suggested stripping Hungary of its voting power within the bloc.

Hungary maintains positive relations with Russia in contrast with other EU members. On March 26, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto visited Moscow to discuss continued economic cooperation between the two countries.

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Editor’s note: This story was published in conjunction with Grist. Twenty-two-year-old software developer Artem Motorniuk has spent his entire life in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, living in the north and visiting his grandparents in the south. It’s been almost four years since he’s seen them in person.

The Kyiv IndependentChad Small