‘Hungarians in Ukraine have big decisions to make when the border opens’ Hungary’s Viktor Orbán opposes military aid and EU membership for Ukraine – one more reason for its Hungarian minority to leave what was once one of Eastern Europe’s most ethnically diverse regions The Ukrainian border is three hours’ drive from Budapest an anchor point for the Hungarian community is just across the border established in 1920 under the Treaty of Trianon which determined the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian empire Visitors don’t need to switch to Kyiv time as this southwestern corner of Ukraine runs on what locals call ‘Western’ or ‘Budapest’ time 25,000) has a Heroes’ Square in its centre but the heroes commemorated here are Ukrainian A memorial displays the faces of the hundred people who died in the Maidan revolution ten years ago And the names of the 20 soldiers from the town who have been killed since February 2022 at the front have been added to the obelisk listing those who died in the second world war Zoltán Babják – who calls himself ‘a Hungarian and a Ukrainian patriot’ – flies the now commonplace red and black flag once the symbol of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) alongside the Ukrainian flag radical wing of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B) led by Stepan Bandera – a virulent nationalist and antisemite – was at times an opponent and at times an ally of the Nazis in their fight against the Soviets and carried out numerous massacres of Jewish and Polish civilians Ukraine’s Hungarian minority finds itself caught in the middle of Budapest and Kyiv’s difficult relationship due to the mass granting of Hungarian passports to ethnic Hungarians since 2012 over the Ukrainian parliament introducing laws that restrict Hungarian-language teaching in schools in 2017 Budapest’s refusal to sever its close ties with Moscow and its attempts to block EU aid (…) (1) See Ronald Grigor Suny They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else: a History of the Armenian Genocide (2) See Tessa Hofmann, ‘A hundred years ago: The assassination of Mehmet Talaat (15 March 1921) and the Berlin criminal proceedings against Soghomon Tehlirian (2/3 June 1921): Background, context, effect’ International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies (3) Jon Elster (4) Robert Nozick (5) Henry Rousso ‘De la vengeance des victimes’ (On the vengeance of victims) (6) Raymond Kévorkian Parachever un génocide: Mustafa Kemal et l’élimination des rescapés arméniens et grecs (1918-1922) (Completing a genocide: Mustafa Kemal and the elimination of surviving Armenians and Greeks [1918-1922]) (7) Donna-Lee Frieze (ed) Totally Unofficial: the Autobiography of Raphael Lemkin (8) Olivier Beauvallet, ‘Lemkin et le génocide arménien sous l’angle juridique’ (Lemkin and the Armenian Genocide from a legal perspective) in Conseil Scientifique International pour l’Étude du Génocide des Arméniens Le Génocide des Arméniens: Un siècle de recherche (1915-2015) (The Armenian Genocide: A Century of Research) (9) See Anwar al-Bunni, ‘We will follow them wherever they go’ Stephen in front of the Roman Catholic church in Berehove the average American’s mental picture of Ukraine has consisted of tanks it probably doesn’t include images of busy markets friends eating pizza together in outdoor cafés and tropical fish swimming in tanks at pet shops And yet the latter is what I saw when I traveled to Ukraine last month to see what life is like in the country’s little-known Hungarian minority region during wartime suffers the effects of Russian aggression in its own ways and is unsure of its future in a place Hungarians have called home for centuries the region of Transcarpathia in Ukraine’s westernmost corner was not entirely unfamiliar to me I spent two years teaching in a high school in a small town twelve miles from the border on the Hungarian side I had heard much about the Hungarian minority region just across the Tisza River from colleagues and students at the school who had emigrated from there to Hungary in the years following the fall of the Soviet Union One particularly striking anecdote that stuck with me was one teacher’s explanation of how her grandparents had switched citizenship five times over the course of their lives without ever having left their village the borders shifted beneath them so that their home belonged to Czechoslovakia roughly translated as ‘beyond the Carpathians.’ The Hungarians know it as Kárpátalja; the ’base of the Carpathians.’ It is the epitome of Central European ethnic diversity and Roma have historically inhabited the region Drawing neat borders in this part of the world where not just regions but even individual cities have long been demographically mixed Redrawing borders is still a sore topic for Hungarians today over a century after the post-World War I Treaty of Trianon divided up over two-thirds of Hungary’s territory among its neighbors Transcarpathia belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary for centuries and the largely Hungarian area of Ukraine hugging the border of Hungary is a consequence of that 1920 decision but the language and culture have remained Something felt almost forbidden or reckless about entering a country at war I imagined that I would have a lot of questions to answer My Hungarian contacts across the border assured me that the border guards would gladly welcome an American like myself into the country Ukrainians view Americans as heroes these days Though the guard on the Hungarian side wasn’t too sure about it Americans don’t even require a visa to enter Ukraine I made it through the Ukrainian border in just a minute or two I walked with a contact from the region from the checkpoint to her car parked at a gas station She had picked me up in Hungary and parked on the Hungarian side as Hungarian license plates are no longer permitted in Ukraine a city of about 23,000 people that is home to the largest concentration of Hungarians in the region Estimates put the first-language Hungarian-speaking population at about 50% is that the Hungarian population has declined significantly in recent years due to emigration there is a world of difference between the reality of life near the Hungarian border and near the Russian border The images of tanks and bombed-out cities familiar to the world come from hundreds of miles away Berehove is geographically closer to Switzerland than it is to Donetsk or Luhansk Life in the city appeared remarkably normal for a country at war Transcarpathia has been the safest oblast in Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict in 2022 I was told that there has only been one missile strike within its borders and it took place in the Carpathian Mountains on the opposite side of the oblast The relative security has drawn many Ukrainians from eastern Ukraine to seek refuge in the region further altering the local demographic makeup These internal migrants have also brought their companies and capital with them providing a boost to the economy of an otherwise peripheral and less prosperous area of the country While Transcarpathia has borne less of the brunt of war than much of Ukraine much has changed beneath the appearance of normalcy energy shortages limited residents of Berehove to just a few hours of electricity per day Air raid sirens continue to disrupt the city’s relative sense of calm I awoke a little before 6 o’ clock one morning to their low Even with the knowledge that the chances of an attack were very slim the sound blaring across the city gave an unsettling feeling of impending doom When I checked the air raid app that locals use The surrounding oblasts were pink—just a tentative warning In the square next to the town’s Hungarian-language college a memorial to local fallen soldiers stood as another reminder that not all is normal A military draft for men aged 18-60 is in force in Ukraine it is a great source of distress and has come up regularly in my conversations with them Some men fled during a 24-hour window at the beginning of the invasion And others go about their lives knowing that they may be called upon one Hungarian expressed her fear that Ukraine is purposefully drafting ethnic Hungarians to fight on the war’s bloodiest frontlines Though I’m not sure how seriously to take an accusation of such gravity—which ultimately was merely a rumor—it demonstrates the deep distrust of Ukraine that has developed among many Hungarians And while Ukrainian admiration for the U.S I’ve found that many Hungarians view American involvement in the war with some suspicion government’s actions in the region as primarily self-interested Given the stories I’d heard regarding the draft there were many men on the streets of Berehove and I didn’t notice any funny looks some local contacts invited me to the Hungarian-language theater to attend Marriage¸ a play by Russian playwright Nikolai Gogol that tells the story of a woman who must choose a man to marry from among a comedic cast of suitors but in the bizarre reality of wartime Ukraine all but one of the performers was female and actresses played male roles Several Ukrainian men I spoke to in Hungary both said that they have already lost several friends to the conflict Signs of war in Europe are not limited to Ukraine I’ve seen similar military advertisements and displays in Finland I met with a Transcarpathian Hungarian family in a small town just across the border in Hungary Thanks to the Hungarian passports they obtained as ethnic Hungarians they were able to immigrate to Hungary about a decade ago “Hungarian citizenship saved our life.” Without it they would be back in Ukraine and their father would be facing difficult decisions about the military draft Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party has prioritized support for the Hungarian minorities living in former Hungarian lands in neighboring countries The government has funded cultural institutions for these communities financially incentivized families to choose Hungarian-language schooling and advocated for Hungarian minority rights on the international scene the first year of a now 13-year uninterrupted period of governance the Fidesz government passed a lawmaking Hungarian citizenship available to all ethnic Hungarians throughout the Carpathian Basin and the wider diaspora over a million people obtained citizenship through the law I often hear Hungarians speak with great fondness of Hungarian regions like Felvidék in Slovakia Hungarian traditions and culture have been so well maintained in Transylvania a territory of two million Hungarians with areas that are still today over 80% Hungarian-speaking that I get the sense that many Hungarians see it as more Hungarian than Hungary itself The question of support for these Hungarian communities abroad has largely become a Left-Right political issue the government had little interest in the Hungarian communities abroad viewing nationality as an obstacle to the international communist movement the Hungarian diaspora in North America and around the world became the foremost defenders of the Hungarian minorities of the Carpathian Basin it has largely been an issue taken up by conservative entities such as Fidesz Ukrainian patriotism is palpable in Berehove Ukrainian flags are scattered everywhere throughout the city I noticed several chalk drawings of the flag on the sidewalk I saw a boy with his backpack carrying a small Ukrainian flag as he walked down the street A graphic of a large Ukrainian flag fluttered behind the newscasters Frightening scenes from the battlefield appeared on the screen Drone footage of a man running along a trench through a field looked like it belonged in a World War I movie it was accompanied with a large red “Propaganda” warning the Ukrainian national anthem played on TV An older man faced the screen and bent down beside his granddaughter of three or four years of age It makes for an especially confusing time to be a Hungarian in Ukraine Among the Hungarians from Ukraine that I’ve known I sense that few feel strong attachment to Ukraine or the Ukrainian identity That has put them in a more delicate position in recent years Since Russia’s incursion into Crimea in 2014 the Ukrainian government has sought measures to strengthen the unity of the nation A key part of that has been promoting the use of the Ukrainian language The government primarily directed such measures at the large ethnic Russian minority concentrated in the east which made up roughly 17% of the population in the 2001 census It has also affected much smaller minorities who represent a mere 0.3% of the population Ukraine’s pro-Russian government had done the opposite signaling support for the use of the Russian language in the country’s Russian minority The laws concerning language have caused some serious hard feelings toward the Ukrainian government among Hungarians both in Transcarpathia and back in Hungary Some local leaders in the Hungarian community expressed their concern about a 2017 law on education which includes a clause set to take effect in September mandating Hungarian-language schools to begin conducting a portion of their instruction in Ukrainian a screen above the stage displayed simultaneous Ukrainian translations The young woman sitting next to me commented that she found it silly considering that it was very unlikely that monolingual Ukrainian speakers would come to plays at the Hungarian theater a 2019 law restricts the use of minority languages on signage and in public settings What that means in practice is a bit murky I was surprised to see many signs and advertisements in Hungarian I was warned before going to Ukraine to be cautious about speaking Hungarian as some Ukrainians may not take kindly to it I ended up switching to Hungarian because I was not understood I didn’t personally experience any hostility against Hungarians during the trip what I heard from Hungarians and Ukrainians alike is that that this has not been the case with some of the new Ukrainian arrivals to the region who are not accustomed to living among minority communities The Hungarian population’s reputation among Ukrainians has soured in the past year While Hungary has condemned Russian aggression and taken in refugees the government has taken an unorthodox approach to the war hesitating to approve sanctions against Russia and weapons shipments for Ukraine The government’s messaging is that their strategy is about peace and avoiding escalation of the conflict It’s a gamble that has caused a rift not just with EU members in Western Europe—with whom quarrels are nothing new—but also with longtime allies in the region There is no single explanation for what motivates Hungary’s actions Some argue that sanctions are not feasible because Hungary relies on Russian energy Some argue that Hungary doesn’t want to send weapons across the border to Ukraine because doing so would open up Transcarpathia to Russian attacks More far-fetched theories include speculation of Hungarian conspiracies to reclaim former territory and secret deals between Orbán and Putin to keep Hungarian Transcarpathia safe The Hungarian government’s discontent with the minority language laws cooled relations years before last year’s invasion The Transcarpathian Hungarian community finds itself caught in the middle The growing animosity likely does not bode well for their future I received an invitation to visit Transcarpathia’s only center of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) a Hungarian youth talent development program serving students from elementary school through university in Hungary and neighboring regions One of the teachers leading a psychology course told me that what is so special about the MCC is that the program is just for Hungarians It’s a place where Hungarian students don’t have to think twice about their language and culture While it is open to any student who wishes to participate and all the programs are conducted in Hungarian I gave a presentation to a group of high school students about the Hungarian-American community I sketched out the history of Hungarian immigration to the United States and talked about Hungarian-Americans who have made a lasting impact on the U.S. It’s difficult to estimate the size of Hungarian ancestry in the United States A significant majority of Hungarians who arrived in the United States in the decades following the Treaty of Trianon left because they were from places like Transcarpathia and suddenly found themselves outside the borders of Hungary European immigration is a story from the past and persecution that led millions of Europeans to board ships to American shores are increasingly distant memories from our grandparents’ or great-grandparents’ generation In the lives of these Transcarpathian students emigration is a very present reality and a live option for their families and friends The 2001 Ukrainian census showed a Hungarian population of roughly 150,000 in the country a deputy mayor of Berehove and himself a Hungarian told me that he believes that number has been roughly halved There was significant emigration even before last year’s invasion as many sought better economic opportunities to the west Families were often split as fathers—and sometimes mothers too—crossed the border for employment in Hungary or elsewhere in the EU Although the policy of the Hungarian government is to support the preservation of the Hungarian communities outside its borders its offer of citizenship—and thus an EU passport—has made leaving an easy and attractive opportunity for Transcarpathian Hungarians especially as the military draft led many Hungarian men to flee and keeps them from returning One of the questions I’ve been most eager to ask Transcarpathian Hungarians is how they feel about the future of their community Both among those who have left and those that remain I’ve found that the sentiment is generally pessimistic Between emigration and the Ukrainian government’s emphasis on the Ukrainian national identity over minority identities many feel resigned to the idea that the Hungarian presence in western Ukraine will continue to fade The fact that those of younger generations are the ones who are much more likely to leave does not help the situation that he comes from a nearby village in Transcarpathia and Even Transcarpathian men with Hungarian citizenship are not permitted to leave Ukraine if the birthplace listed on the passport is in Ukraine He led the tour in Hungarian and so my understanding wasn’t perfect were the signs of the city’s resilience throughout its history We visited the grand Roman Catholic church a Gothic structure that has stood in the city since the early 1400s My guide explained that the church has been no stranger to attacks over the centuries A fire set by Polish troops in 1657 destroyed much of the building there is a pedestal with a large statue of the Blessed Virgin holding the child Jesus How proud Soviet leaders must have felt to erect such images symbols of their might and the new communist age Stalin’s figure ultimately replaced by symbols of the ancient faith he tried to quash And while Berehove’s Jewish population was decimated by the Holocaust and the communist government converted its synagogue into a plain concrete theater Berehove has survived conquering powers many times before Its Hungarian community has persisted through centuries of constant flux It is a history of perseverance that offers looking at the abyss that the eastern European country has become since 24 February there are at least fifty cars waiting to pass through the tight and very slow customs controls a white van with five people on board was halfway down the queue; just before 8 pm acting prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development sent by Pope Francis to Hungary to comfort Ukrainian refugees Accompanying him are two priests involved in the pastoral care of migrants the Greek Catholic eparch of Nyíregyháza who made offered his car to go “to the other side,” to Berehove a village in Transcarpathia spared by the bombs but which has become one of the main gathering points for refugees The eparch makes the sign of the cross before entering More as a blessing for the mission than out of fear of any danger given that in recent days he has often gone to visit “the brothers” who assist the fleeing people While waiting endlessly for his documents to be checked (some of the wording in his Italian passport was unknown and had to be translated with Google Translate) Cardinal Czerny received news of the bombing of a paediatric hospital in Mariupol “Bombing and hospital: these two words in the same sentence already make you shudder Cardinal Parolin is right; it’s unacceptable We must stop these attacks on civilians,” he comments The journey to Berehove – Beregszász to Hungarians – takes less than twenty minutes The suburbs are almost deserted; in the distance “That’s where the rich refugees stay,” someone explains Berehove is in fact the scene of a struggle between the poor: refugees against other refugees bullies who demand from the weakest a sort of tax or their own food rations Some Ukrainians seem to ask up to 2,000 forints to help their compatriots cross the border or to provide men with a certificate of poor health to get around the martial law that forces them to stay in the country Many also offer to transport the refugees to Budapest at inflated prices wary of the Hungarian buses waiting outside the border especially the women who fear being kidnapped and put on the street “Trafficking is a real problem,” says Cardinal Czerny “a tragedy within a tragedy that feeds on humanitarian crises.” the car with the Cardinal stops in front of a white boarding school that is still under construction It was supposed to be a dormitory for students; now it has become a shelter but it could just as well have been called “Fratelli tutti,” since it brings together the efforts of Greek and Latin Catholics “There is no distinction; we are all now the Good Samaritan called to help our neighbour We have realised that if we do not cooperate we cannot give real help to those who suffer,” explained Eparch Nil Lushchak as he seated the representatives of the various confessions at the table Each person present told the Pope’s emissary about the experience of welcoming people on the run then about encountering the tragedies of families broken by death or the separation of a family member or the regret of some Russian soldiers who thought they were taking part in a quick “military operation” and found themselves in the middle of a war “It’s a genocide,” Latin-rite Bishop Mykola Petro Luchok says “For our people it is a Via Crucis and many are ready to go to Golgotha Ukrainians are not running away; they are not giving up; we want to defend the values of freedom “We are all poor in the face of this challenge of war,” begins Cardinal Czerny after being asked by those present to thank the Pope for his visit and “for having made the bell of the small Ukraine ring in the Vatican.” The Cardinal explains that two people have arrived in the besieged country: himself and Cardinal Konrad Krajewski one of immediate charity and one of integral human development in the long term A commitment that will last through the ages.” “It would be sad to respond to the emergency and then go back to the poor disjointed life that so many live and suffer in this world,” adding “after this nightmare we do not want to go back to before Cardinal Czerny also reiterated the Pope’s willingness “to do everything possible” for peace The head of the Dicastery was then introduced to some of the refugees being hosted at the boarding school who had fled Kyiv with his mother and sisters “Where do you want to go?” the Cardinal asked The hundreds of refugees crammed into the Caritas centre in Barabás which Cardinal Czerny visited before and after his stop in Ukraine while others speak of home in reference to the accommodations awaiting them in Germany says she is “angry” about the slow transport system that made her miss her plane it is not easy to manage the pace of arrivals and transfers: eighty people are announced in the few hours the Cardinal took to tour the building Only 24 hours a day...” jokes the Caritas coordinator “Thank you for your work,” Cardinal Czerny says “The Holy Father told me to bring you his blessing and this is what I am doing.” got up to show him on her mobile phone the infamous image of the woman killed in Irpil by a bomb while trying to escape with her children most continue with what they are doing: sleeping distracting the children by reading a fairy tale or playing building blocks Numerous local journalists are waiting for him outside the building “Continue your service and go with the Pope’s blessing A song marked the departure of the Cardinal who returned to the Centre late in the evening to share a sandwich and a hot drink with the refugees “It took us six days to move from one region to another,” says another A woman in a fur-trimmed hat explains that she fled Donetsk in 2014 and took refuge in bomb-ravaged Kharkiv The war followed her and now she finds herself once again on the run The Lord wants us not to contend against one another but to work for good.” The second day of the Cardinal’s mission opened with a meeting with the Hungarian deputy prime minister who reiterated the government’s support for the Church’s initiatives in response to the humanitarian crisis “Hungary has said that it will welcome refugees without any restrictions,” he said Cardinal Czerny replies that he hoped this welcoming attitude would become permanent Thank you for reading our article. 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Just click here This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page announced that the memorial complex on Heroes’ Square has been finally completed Honoring the diverse character of the region Babják said that from now on the flag of city  the European flag – as a symbol of the Ukrainian people’s desire for European values – the flag of the territorial defense unit and other military flags will also fly in the park Since several of the deceased heroes were ethnic Hungarian soldiers the Hungarian national flag is also being displayed Follow us Donate now World Subscribers only Romania enters government crisis amid election World Subscribers only In Zurich the leaf blower war or the anti-'woke' backlash World Subscribers only Germany's Friedrich Merz is embracing pragmatism World Subscribers only Founder of Sant'Egidio community fears next pope could undo Francis's legacy Opinion Subscribers only 'Russian gas and Europe is an old story that ended badly Economy Subscribers only Europe's steel industry flattened by crisis World Subscribers only How European countries plan to fund defense efforts France Subscribers only Detective tells court Kim Kardashian's robbers were 'a fine team France Subscribers only Macron announces citizens' convention on school schedules France Subscribers only 21 charged over French prison attacks as investigation narrows in on drug traffickers France Subscribers only French mosque stabber was driven by 'morbid fascination,' prosecutor says Videos World expos: From Paris 1855 to Osaka 2025 Videos How the Trump administration is attacking scientific research in the US Videos Tesla cars set on fire in Las Vegas as calls to boycott Musk's company grow worldwide Videos Can France's nuclear deterrent protect Europe Opinion Subscribers only John Bolton: 'The term chaos is commonly used to describe the top of the Defense Department' Editorial European call to aid foreign researchers is too modest Opinion Subscribers only 'The American dream is dying' Magazine Subscribers only Tracking down the pianos taken from French Jews during the Nazi Occupation Magazine Subscribers only Eve Rodsky the American helping couples balance the mental load Magazine Subscribers only Desecration or more glory Joan Didion's private diaries are revealed Magazine Subscribers only For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar 2025."> Pixels Subscribers only Golden Owl solution is revealed but leaves players of 31-year hunt disappointed Pixels Subscribers only Secrets of decades-long Golden Owl treasure hunt to be revealed Lifestyle Inside Chanel's French leather workshops Culture Subscribers only The marvelous bronzes of Angkor on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris FeatureThe Hungarian prime minister criticizes Kyiv for not allowing the few thousand Hungarians in Ukraine to express themselves in their language most do not agree with this allegation which complicates their relationship with Ukraine The drawings on the walls are like those you'd find in any Ukrainian school They depict soldiers as well as blue and yellow Ukrainian flags alongside the date The only difference with other schools around the country is that when the recess bell rings the six-to-17-year-old students rushing into the hallways speak only Hungarian The lessons given in the classrooms of Lajos Kossuth School in Berehove are likewise taught in the language of the neighboring country This form of education is one of the unique aspects of Transcarpathia a multi-ethnic region wedged between Hungary the cradle of Ukraine's Hungarian community While the last official census in 2001 counted some 150,000 people more recent estimates have suggested that the population of this minority is now half that At the state school named for the hero of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution According to headmistress Emese Zseltvai-Vezsdel this is sufficient to ensure that pupils have a decent level of Ukrainian by the end of their schooling "I want young people to speak Ukrainian," said the chemistry and biology teacher on Friday it's very important that they study in the Hungarian language." You have 81.4% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial When I travel to Ukraine from Central Europe my phone automatically changes time zones right when I cross the border my watch did not match the town’s clocks is perhaps the only town in Ukraine where the majority of locals do not use Kiev time but rather European time matching that of Budapest the clock tower in the town’s medieval fortress shows Kiev time The locals’ insistence on using European time in their town is the result of a complex geopolitical legacy Berehove is a town in Ukraine’s westernmost region mineral-rich area that today borders Romania Zakarpattia is considered a sought-after destination Ukrainian tourists come to spend their vacations in western towns like Berehove would find themselves in the eastern reaches of the Austro-Hungarian Empire German and Hungarian could be heard throughout the main streets the region became part of the newly formed Czechoslovakia Hungarians took control of the region once more Zakarpattia became part of an independent Ukraine official business is mostly conducted in Ukrainian and Hungarian is the predominant language heard in the streets while parents have a choice of sending their children to Ukrainian is a quintessential part of the borderlands between Russia and Europe linguistic and religious groups living side by side as empires and nation-states wrestling for control over the area But it is also one of the few regions where one can still feel what it must have been like to live in multinational empires rather than European nation-states Before the two world wars led to large-scale population movements much of what we refer to today as the Baltics Central and Eastern Europe was a melting pot of nationalities for centuries there had been German-speaking communities in the modern-day Baltic states it is unimaginable for an entire town to converse in three languages ethnic Ukrainians speak Russian and often understand or even speak Hungarian; ethnic Hungarians speak fluent Ukrainian and Russian It is possible to come across men dressed in full Ukrainian military uniforms speaking native Hungarian Berehove may be situated only a few miles from the European Union’s borders but the economic development gap becomes apparent immediately upon crossing the border from Hungary into Ukraine: the smoothly paved wide roads and neatly renovated homes give way to pothole-filled narrow paths Inflation has greatly eroded the value of Ukrainian salaries and locals faced with skyrocketing prices attempt to buy medicine from Hungary The two worlds are thus connected – especially through the popular cigarette smuggling business – but there are few Hungarian tourists crossing into Ukraine the Zakarpattia region is an area where memories are long and centuries-old tensions lurk beneath the surface Disagreements often revolve around education and the language of administration but the conflict in eastern Ukraine has created a new dimension to regional concerns Locals say that many young men from the region have left for Hungary to avoid being drafted into the Ukrainian army and fighting in Donbass There is resentment toward the Kiev government for allegedly sending soldiers to fight unprepared with little to no training or equipment The faces of the fallen stare down from rows of pictures in the town’s main square Locals can see the European Union across the border but they know that they are very much a part of a contested and challenging borderland America in TransitionThe Geopolitics of the American President Sign up now Get weekly analysis from New York Times bestselling author George Friedman and our global team of analysts Copyright © 2024 Geopolitical Futures® Sign up now and receive our special report Understanding our Geopolitical Model Subscribe Now In Hungarian-majority villages in Zakarpattia region many feel little connection to the war and side with Hungarian leader the clock in almost every home is set to Budapest time Hungary’s main government-controlled news channel which portrays the world as seen by the Hungarian prime minister in the church and at the school is Hungarian Yet Bodalovo is in the far western corner of Ukraine. It is one of numerous villages in the Zakarpattia region populated almost entirely by ethnic Hungarians. And as Orbán threatens to veto plans to begin EU accession negotiations for Ukraine next week Ukraine’s small Hungarian community is in the spotlight Zakarpattia has changed hands numerous times over the years but has had a Hungarian population for centuries the local Hungarians have had an uneasy relationship with their homeland Unlike in almost all other parts of Ukraine many people here feel little connection to the war raging in the east of the country “This is not our war,” agreed János and Béla as they saw away shots of pálinka moonshine one recent evening in the house where Béla has lived his whole life It is a phrase that comes up again and again in Zakarpattia One villager said he admired Orbán and Vladimir Putin whom he considered as a “real man” standing up against the “gay and transgender lobby” in the west a frequent claim in Hungarian and Russian state media there are fears that the Hungarian community in the west risks becoming a smaller-scale mirror of the Russian-speaking community in the east with a hostile foreign power using concerns about their rights as an excuse to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty Orbán is the European leader who has remained most friendly to Putin banking on an eventual Russian victory in the war He met Putin in Shanghai in October and has frequently called on the west to halt military aid to Kyiv resurgent Ukrainian national pride risks the forced integration of their community “We are citizens of Ukraine but we want to be able to speak our native language We are not tourists here,” said Zoltán Babják a town of 25,000 people with a Hungarian majority Many people in Berehove do not support the war Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The GuardianThe dispute over language and other rights for the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia has poisoned relations between Kyiv and Budapest for years as Orbán’s nationalist government has poured money into the region offering financial subsidies for local Hungarians The newly minted Hungarian citizens then tend to vote overwhelmingly for Orbán’s Fidesz party in elections the complaints about language rights are not entirely without foundation and European bodies have repeatedly criticised Ukraine for its policies on minority languages particularly after the passage of a 2017 law that restricted the use of languages other than Ukrainian a move aimed at lessening the influence of the Russian language that also affected Hungarian and Romanian communities Ukraine’s parliament will discuss a law that answers many of Budapest’s concerns about language rights part of a deal to smooth the way towards EU accession It will allow schools in Hungarian areas to teach all classes in Hungarian But just as Ukraine acts to do what Budapest for years has being asking for threatening to block Ukraine’s accession anyway One diplomatic source said: “It shows that the language concerns have been bogus all along this is about a dislike of Ukraine and a desire to curry favour with Putin.” said he had repeatedly offered various Hungarian officials “at the seniormost level” help with engaging with the Ukrainian government on the minorities issue “For an issue that is of such prominence in the government of Hungary’s political communications it is noteworthy that not a single official has taken the United States up on our offer to help them actually address it,” he said Zakarpattia is one of the poorest regions of Ukraine “This town has existed for 970 years and imagine we haven’t managed to build a proper sewage system,” said Babják blaming the central government for a lack of funds He said only 60% of households in Berehove had access to a centralised sewage system A memorial for fallen soldiers born in Berehove Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The GuardianSoviet-made Ladas decaying blocks of flats and the battered shells of former industrial complexes dot the landscape in Zakarpattia Some of the only smart buildings are those that have been renovated with Budapest’s money While the occasional soldier in the street is a reminder of the fact that this is a country at war Zakarpattia is the only Ukrainian region not to have been hit by Russian missile strikes since the war began Venice and Berlin than to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment people said nobody had been mobilised to fight in the war but people find ways to avoid it: either they pay on the spot or they simply sneak over the border to Hungary and flee,” said one villager in Bodalovo The war has only accelerated an already rapid process of Hungarian flight from Zakarpattia down from 150,000 people at the time of the 2001 census to an estimated 80,000 now Three decades ago there were 30 children in each year at the Hungarian-language school in the village of Borzhava Now there are nine in the first grade and three each in the second and third She said she did not mention the war in her classes because “a school should be a place of peace” a history professor and the head of the Hungarian Democratic Federation in Ukraine said that despite the stereotype that Hungarians were not willing to fight there were actually about 300-400 ethnic Hungarians currently fighting on the frontlines has been appointed as Ukraine’s next ambassador to Budapest László Zubánics the head of the Hungarian Democratic Federation in Ukraine Photograph: Julia Kochetova/The Guardian“In the villages people get the majority of their information from Hungarian television so they get all of the Orbán talking points,” he said “In mixed villages or bigger towns it’s a different story.” which is majority Ukrainian but has a sizeable Hungarian minority Once a district capital in the Austro-Hungarian empire Vynohradiv was home to the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók for several years in the early 20th century Its crumbling but handsome central streets reflect the town’s multicultural past with churches of five different denominations and a synagogue a lawyer and the head of a Hungarian community organisation based in the town was at pains to say not all Hungarians were Orbán fans “Back when Orbán said after he was elected […] that he had closed the door to communism and opened the door to Europe He has written a letter to the European Commission to assure it that not all of Ukraine’s Hungarians support Orbán’s “anti-Ukrainian Most local Hungarians support EU accession for Ukraine said he had got into shouting matches with other young Hungarians during the first weeks of the war “There was one woman I worked with who said Ukraine won’t exist soon and everything here will be Hungary I wanted to call the security services on her,” he said who in the summer visited the frontline in east Ukraine and is considered to be on the pro-Ukrainian end of the spectrum of Hungarian political figures and was evasive when asked whether he had a Hungarian passport Nobody will answer that question,” he said Zubánics said many in Budapest thought he had betrayed the Hungarian people while many in Ukraine were wary of all Hungarians and their loyalties it can be hard to navigate the competing demands of Kyiv and Budapest “It’s like trying to dance along a tightrope,” he said with a sigh FeatureMany in this community do not speak Ukrainian and are fed by the Hungarian prime minister's rhetoric – which We had been warned that the mayor of Berehove had an annoying tendency to cancel interviews at the last minute Zoltan Babiak used an "emergency" as an excuse to cancel on us He was not the only one to politely decline in this small town in southwestern Ukraine where the vast majority of the 25,000 inhabitants speak Hungarian The rector of the Hungarian language university institute felt that "it is not appropriate to talk to the foreign press at this time," and the representative of the major association of Ukrainian Hungarians apologized for being "on vacation," while assuring us that she was still "praying for peace." If so many leaders of the Hungarian community in Ukraine estimated at 150,000 in the last census (2001) it is because they are afraid to say out loud what is really going on in their minds: in line with Viktor Orban's convictions they aren't highly motivated to go and fight the Russian army known for being close to President Vladimir Putin categorically refusing to deliver arms to Ukraine and criticizing the European sanctions against Russia it is easy to hear an endless recital of the propaganda of the Budapest media "This is not our war," said a modest retired couple who sells fruit on the sidewalk and proudly voted "for Orban" in the last Hungarian elections on April 3 "I prefer Putin to Zelensky," added a construction worker who hid as soon as the Ukrainian army recruitment services appeared in town to avoid being sent to the front All these statements were made anonymously because they could lead to legal proceedings You have 73.46% of this article left to read The city of Berehove is a border town of Ukraine and is the unofficial center of the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia Hungarians already constitute a minority rather than a majority more than 48% of the city’s population were Hungarians while the number of Ukrainians stood at 39% Although no official censuses were carried out after that a few years ago Hungarian scientists tried to count the number of those Hungarians who remained in Zakarpattia which was implemented with the participation of the Institute of Geography of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the number of ethnic Hungarians living in Zakarpattia has decreased by almost 30,000 over the last 15-20 years According to the 2001 census in the westernmost region of Ukraine lived almost 152 thousand Hungarians now their number has dwindled to about 120-125 thousand this is exactly the figure that appeared in the study “Summa – 2017” the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia has shrunk primarily due to emigration have left the borders of the oblast and emigrated the largest decrease (by 26-33%) in the number of Hungarian-speaking population occurred in Uzhhorod and Berehove Berehove is also the center of a united community which in addition to the city includes 17 other villages  They dominated the ethnic composition of the “old” Berehovo district which was merged with Vynohradivsky last year (with the administrative center remaining in Berehove) and the share of Hungarians in the total population dropped from 76% to 43% Hungarian youths do not stay in the cities or villages of Zakarpattia in light of the lack of further prospects and work Even university graduates are faced with a limited choice kindergarten (if they reside in the village) or in another state institution A much easier way out is to go to work in any developed country in Europe which is not difficult provided one has a Hungarian citizenship According to the aforementioned study “Summa – 2017” the Hungarians of Zakarpattia will go abroad for a short time when it comes to spending more than 3 months abroad According to the latest research of the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives conducted in Zakarpattia in 2018 and 2020 in particular according the latest one carried out within the initiative “Re: Open Zakarpattia” of the Central European Strategy Institute emigration takes place on a massive scale not only among Hungarians in Zakarpattia it is surely the most popular phenomenon among the national minorities of the region the procedure of going abroad for work is probably the easiest among all national minorities in the region which is primarily due to the fact that a new law on a simplified procedure for obtaining Hungarian citizenship came into force in Hungary in 2011 According to the latest official data released by the Hungarian authorities (in particular by the Secretary of State for National Policy 94,000 Ukrainian citizens had obtained Hungarian citizenship We are planning to write about how this has happened in the last 10 years in a separate article that will entail all the details to get the citizenship of neighboring Hungary for the average ethnic Hungarian coming from Zakarpattia is quite simple They just need to prove the roots of their ancestors with any archival document and pass an oral interview Viktor Orbán’s team initiated these changes in citizenship legislation with a view to enabling Hungarians living abroad who found themselves outside their home country after the 1920 Trianon Peace Treaty to feel an equal part of the Hungarian nation and unite with it in political terms Part of this unification of the nation also lies in augmenting support for Hungarians living abroad not to leave their historic lands work and preserve their culture just like their ancestors had been doing for the last 1,000 years the easy procedure that makes it possible for the Zakarpattian Hungarians to obtain a Hungarian passport with such ease is almost a key stimulus for emigration the Hungarian útlevél has been ranking among the top 10 strongest passports in the world in recent years in the ranking Passport Index 2021 it ranks 5th along with passports of the Czech Republic With the Hungarian útlevél you can travel to the United States without a visa and keep working in the UK even after Brexit the official Budapest sees no other way out than slowing down the pace of emigration which means increasing financial support for the Hungarian community in Zakarpattia According to the estimates of the “Schemy” project Zakarpattia received from the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán almost 36 billion HUF (over 3 billion UAH or 115 million EUR) These were the funds that were invested in the Ukrainian region through the Bethlen Gábor Foundation through the only network of Hungarian funds operating in Ukraine there exists practically no area in Zakarpattia where this assistance from Hungary would not be felt in one way or another These are the construction and reconstruction of schools Grants for the assistance of the Zakarpattian Center for Economic Development “Egán Ede” are received by farmers the foundation supported a number of projects amounting to more than 1 billion UAH One would logically get the impression that Hungary is practically taking over the functions of the state of Ukraine in the region to a certain extent one can often hear accusations that the roads in Zakarpattia are being constructed with Hungarian money or that the region is generally more financed from Budapest than from Kyiv Kyiv allocated more than 5 billion UAH for the repair of state roads within the region which is the equivalent of almost 150 million euros It is important that a lot of major road repairs should be carried out in the so-called Prytyszyn Hungarian district in places of compact residence of Hungarians along the border with Hungary where roads had not been repaired for decades Consider also the annual state subventions for education socio-economic development and funds of the State Fund for Rural Development all speculations that Ukraine does not finance Zakarpattia will disappear without a trace that provides critical support to the Zakarpattian region in all spheres which unfortunately still remains a heavily subsidized region by more than 70% such speculations are already turning into disinformation narratives which look especially frightening against the background of Russia’s aggressive actions in Eastern Ukraine This is compounded by the difficult social and economic situation in Ukraine and the lack of “significant” state investment in Zakarpattia in places of compact residence of national communities hopelessness and the desire to emigrate is being formed As well as fears of separatis and forced Ukrainization the joint efforts of Kyiv and Budapest can constitute an effective tool that will keep Hungarians (and all residents of Zakarpattia) from emigration preserve their identity and connection with their native country change the attitude of Hungarians to Ukraine who will be able to look at it as a state in which they want to stay and develop we have compiled a list of social and economic issues and challenges that have seemed vitally important for Berehove in recent years These issues need to be addressed and require significant resources that local government does not have solving them may present Ukraine with a good chance to prove itself and change its image in the eyes of Zakarpattian Hungarians and other national communities of Ukraine All these projects can and should become a common history of cooperation and success of Kyiv and Budapest The region has been facing this problem for many years the belt route around Berehove should connect roads of state importance and lead to international checkpoints on the borders with Romania and Hungary within Zakarpattia as well as connect the international highway M3 with the main western route of Ukraine this would open additional transit and logistics opportunities not only for Ukraine but also for Central and Eastern Europe in general as it regards the development of transport infrastructure within the 5th Pan-European Transport Corridor Hungary announced the allocation of 50 million euros for this belt route and the route from Berehove to Mukachevo which would actually imply the connection of M3 and Kyiv-Chop the implementation of the project has been postponed for 5 consecutive years with each of the parties (Ukraine and Hungary) turning it around on one another as if saying that the delay was not their fault representatives of Ukravtodor stated that all the necessary documentation to begin the construction of a large-scale project was prepared and it was about to begin as soon as the issues with the land owned by citizens were solved convinced the authors of these lines of this fact no announcements about the construction have been made yet has been on the agenda of local authorities for ten years Quite often Verko is mentioned in the context of the upcoming elections It is forgotten right after the elections have taken place The city has undertaken an effort to clean the canal from meter-long silt and sewage several times on its own it is clear to everyone that the problem cannot be solved by taking complex measures alone It is difficult to solve the issue without the state support the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Levente Magyar announced the decision of his government to provide 3.5 million EUR for the cleansing of the Verke Canal The first tranche from the state budget of 389,768,986 HUF (1,081,000 EUR) to cope with the environmental problems of Zakarpattian Berehove has already been allocated The relevant decree has been signed by the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán  Ukraine could and should join this project because the cleansing of Verke within Berehove is only part of the problem there is a need for a comprehensive solution the reconstruction of the existing and construction of new treatment infrastructure for Berehovo and surrounding villages is required because the canal today is actually an open-air sewer The landfill on the outskirts of Berehove expands its boundaries every year Its boundaries today almost reach the windows of high-rise buildings in the Berehove neighborhood when a large poisonous cloud covered almost the entire city fire fighting machines came urgently to the rescue not only from the area since they were dislocated just a few kilometers off the border The emergency was resolved a few days later it was planned to solve it by building a waste sorting plant in the nearby village of Yanoshi The plant was built with the help of a European grant as well as the assistance from neighboring Hungary it is necessary to rehabilitate the landfill It is already known that sludge from the Verke Canal will also be transported to this landfill the two problems could be solved comprehensively The only cinema in Berehove has not been working for a long time In order to watch the novelties of film distribution on the big screen the people of Berehove have to go to Mukachevo The same goes for watching contemporary Ukrainian movies The city community has repeatedly raised the issue of restoring the cinema which finds itself in a state of disrepair The city council has several times announced a tender for the lease of premises while maintaining the intended purpose the City Council is ready to give the premises to private owners on condition that they resume the work of the cinema but there are no people willing to bear this burden yet A new auction has been scheduled for August The last time an attempt was made to resume the work of the cinema in Berehove was undertaken in 2007 for the last 20 years the national movies were shown only once within the framework of the Days of Ukrainian Cinema festival in Berehove in 2018 “Another’s Prayer” and others were presented The event was organized by Kyiv Molodist International Film Festival with the support of the Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine The one-time event gathered a full hall of the city’s House of Culture the House of Culture can also host film screenings the main concert hall has been renovated in recent years 240 upholstered chairs were brought in from Hungary as a gift the floor covering was replaced and cosmetic repairs were carried out there is no one willing to organize even this kind of leisure activity the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy introduced a program for the development of small cinemas The head of the Zakarpattian Regional State Administration said that it was planned to open cinemas in Uzhhorod (as of now the city has 2 private cinemas) Vynohradiv and Rakhiv at the expense of the state There are no plans in place to found such a cinema in Berehove although it would be worth promoting first of all high-quality Ukrainian movies Hungarian and foreign films (dubbed in Hungarian) are offered in the film club at the Zakarpattian Hungarian Institute It goes without saying that we are talking here primarily about Ukrainian language courses the need for which was suddenly felt throughout Ukraine in light of the new legislation on the use of the state language in public spheres the law on language came into force in Ukraine providing for the priority of customer service in Ukraine in Ukrainian Since that time no complaints have been filed in Zakarpattia regarding violations of this rule of law according to the language ombudsman’s office despite the “media popularity” of the language issue related to the Hungarian community in recent years the Zakarpattia oblast does not rank among the leaders in terms of violations of the language legislation in general this year the tourist season in Berehove is in full swing wirth non-locals taking a  rest in thermal resorts the local staff would definitely not reject the opportunity to participate in additional language courses to feel more confident in the Ukrainian language back in 2019 the Hungarian government launched Ukrainian language courses in Berehove we have not made a mistake here – the language was Ukrainian At the same time István Grezha stressed that the project aims to reduce tensions in relations between the countries “Given the current situation in the relations between our countries I proposed to launch Ukrainian language courses for Zakarpattian Hungarians along with the Hungarian language courses for Zakarpattians,” said the Hungarian Minister’s Plenipotentiary In just two days after the recruitment was announced more than 300 Zakarpattians signed up for them The courses were held on the premises of the Zakarpattian Hungarian Ferenc Rakoczi II Institute the third admission to the courses of studying Ukrainian as a foreign language was completed Along with courses in Ukrainian and other languages large-scale open Hungarian language courses were launched in 2016 on the premises of the Hungarian Institute Study groups are still active throughout the region Although the courses are not completely free many Zakarpattians have enrolled nevertheless others would like to learn it for self-education and someone is seeking the opportunity to obtain Hungarian citizenship since without knowledge of the language they are not likely to get útlevél Hungarian courses were actively frequented even in the year of the pandemic In 2021 the 6th admission to the Hungarian language courses started with a total of 2682 people having enrolled of which 1741 students possess an elementary command of the language but would like to brush up on their knowledge almost 15,000 Zakarpattians have completed these courses whereas many people conceive of the courses as a tool for going abroad (just like getting a passport) the knowledge of Ukrainian plays an opposite role the key area of ​​business in Berehove district is tourism and services as mainly these are Ukrainians who visit the region and who are of interest to the Hungarians of Zakarpattia the Ministry of Education and the Ministry Culture either on the premises of Uzhhorod National University or Mukachevo Pedagogical College could easily organize similar Ukrainian language courses for Hungarians and especially musicians (whose songs are sung by Hungarians in Zakarpattia with some of them not even understanding the lyrics) Although between this checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border and the town of Berehove there lies the village of Astei which is part of another amalgamated territorial community the road used by all travelers runs through Berehove This town is associated with this checkpoint For over 5 years it has literally resembled a ruin Reconstruction of the checkpoint “Luzhanka – Beregsurány ” was to be completed with the help of the funds provided by the EU in 2013 Both the Ukrainian and the Hungarian part of the transition were to be constructed Whereas the Hungarian party completed everything on time and even constructed the cargo terminal from scratch the Ukrainian party is still incapable of repeating the counterpart’s success Although in recent years it is the Luzhanka checkpoint that has effectively served  as the main checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border due to the convenience of the route and the proximity to the M3 highway Berehove is a very beautiful and attractive city for tourists This is facilitated not only by the convenient location (which means transit to European countries) but also the unique architectural heritage Most of the historically attractive buildings were built in the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries a significant number of architectural monuments found themselves in quite neglected state a hundred years later Only with the assistance of the Hungarian government and foreign organizations was it possible to reconstruct many palaces churches and other buildings in Zakarpattia the most beautiful building in the city of Berehove where the Zakarpattian Hungarian Institute is now located Later the surrounding area was arranged here with a campus that entailed a park with the assistance of Hungary the construction of a sports complex is underway in Berehove The project envisages a swimming pool and various sports facilities The former school with Russian as the language of instruction is now being converted into a Hungarian-language lyceum with a focus on sport The neighboring country is also contributing to this goal Hungary allocates large sums for the reconstruction of local monuments and a Greek Catholic college with a dormitory for 40 people has been built in the former Pushkin Square (now Sinna) Schools and kindergartens are being reconstructed with Hungarian as the language of instruction the Budapest Park was solemnly opened in Berehove and a horse bronze sculpture of Ferenc Rákóczi was installed also thanks to the funds provided by Hungary the neighboring country has joined the city’s infrastructure We would also like to add that even the construction of the monument of Taras Shevchenko unveiled in 2016 in the park near the secondary school Nr was made possible with the help of Hungarian money Due to the lack of the required sum in the city budget Hungary decided to finance the monument despite the fact that the city community had been raising funds for its construction for a long time Such financial support from Hungary additionally makes it possible to compensate for the very modest funds that Berehove possesses in its own development budget This year the budget amounts to 14-15 million hryvnias even this whole some will not suffice for the construction of a new main water supply which the city has been in a critical need of in the last few years due to the deterioration of the existing one the project would require 20 million UAH and it could be easily financed by the funds from the State Fund for Regional Development of Ukraine it should be noted that the renovated reception department of the Bertolon Linner Hospital in Berehove has recently been opened It had previously been reconstructed at the expense of the state budget Ukraine and Hungary could really join their efforts to finally complete the construction of the second building of this hospital which has already turned into a classic long-term construction everyone would benefit from the joint effort of Kyiv and Budapest in each of the aforementioned areas such efforts would go in line with the strategic interests of both countries Authors: Andriy Klots* and Dmytro Tuzhanskyi exclusively for InfoPost.Media He has been writing about interethnic relations for quite some time He uses the nickname so that his name does not affect the quality and sincerity of the discussions that ensue after the publication of the author’s articles Photo credit: InfoPost.Media Home page » Topics » Railway » Zakarpattia Narrow-Gauge Railway of the Future — How much for palynka (palynka (palenka) is a name used in Zakarpattia for hooch which is usually fruity and very strong — translator) — Denys asks a lady who has put plastic bottles all over the railroad tracks he buys some palynka as well as tomatoes and cheese We are standing in the middle of the market and it is hard to believe that there are railway tracks just under our feet all the people around are bustling and removing everything from the tracks — The train will manoeuvre a bit and will leave in the opposite direction Denys Dobra is one of those people who selflessly work on the preservation and restoration of the Borzhava narrow-gauge He is a founder of the non-governmental organization “Borzhava initiative” Denys is 47 years old and was born in the village of Imstychevo He has been taking care of Borzhava narrow-gauge for over 15 years I remember how I travelled in these old carriages I remember how I took this train from Irshava to Imstychevo when I was in the ninth grade at school Everything started in 2000 when we organized the first tourist trip We went from Lukiv to Berehove and simply made a photographic report At that time digital cameras did not exist and we were taking the usual film photos From time to time the driver whistles at people to force them to get away from the tracks with all their stuff as soon as possible the train has to turn around and pick up passengers and then it will immediately go to Irshava in the opposite direction “Market — train station” is the main artery of the city where all trade routes intersect with the transport routes as literally as you can imagine It looks like colourful photos from Sri Lanka Vietnam or India where locals decided not to create a special place to sell things from their own gardens and backyards and began to sell exactly where they got off of the train The train is manoeuvring among the passengers with the speed of a snail between cities it goes slightly faster — at 15 kilometres per hour We have a joke that if you get out from the first carriage you will have enough time to do your business in the bushes and jump back into the last carriage The point of this joke is that there are no other carriages between the first and the last carriage because there are only two of them People often call Borzhava narrow-gauge “Antsia Kushnytska” or Antsia is one of the few narrow-gauges still operating in Ukraine and one of the three narrow-gauges which are part of the Ukrainian Railway (UkrZaliznytsia) The other two are Haivoron narrow-gauge and Polissia narrow-gauge People have given a lot of names to the last one — “Kukushka” (cuckoo) “Transpolissia highway” or “Poizdok” (small train) The width of all Ukrainian narrow-gauges is 750 mm there is Vyhoda narrow-gauge which is better known as “Carpathian tram” The total length of Borzhava narrow-gauge is 123 km The first part has been operational since December 1908 Nowadays the most active branch of the narrow-gauge is that one that was launched last the first part of the railway was from Berehove through Irshava to Dovhe a fight was going on between the two cities — Mukacheve and Berehove Uzhhorod became a politically and economically influential city only during the second and the third decades of the 20th century When an idea of building a narrow-gauge railway in the valley of Borzhava river appeared traders from Mukacheve actively opposed the construction of the railway The trail went on for almost six years in order not to give the opportunity to build this branch of the railway since Berehove would get a powerful and useful connection to Verkhovyna This narrow-gauge became one of the most important transport arteries in the region but there was a very active labour migration of people people from the mountain regions were going to work in the lowland by foot and thanks to “Antsia” this problem disappeared Forest industry during the Austro-Hungarian monarchy had been developed using the advanced technology of that time railroads were built all across Zakarpattia the first attempts to build the railway line in the valley Borzhava were in 1886 during the Hungarian kingdom the constituent assembly was convened in Mukacheve and this assembly can be regarded as a birthday of Borzhava narrow-gauge but before then there were almost two decades of judicial and organizational red tape That construction process by itself was extremely fast for those times Every time I compare it with the invention of Pentium processors because from that moment the development of computer technology dramatically went up people travelled to the fair from Verkhovyna to Berehove for a day and a half Construction of the railway gave a big push to all Borzhava valley because the railroad goes along the banks of the Borzhava river the whole area has got very efficient transport infrastructure In winter 1908 the railway line from Berehove to Dovhe was officially put into operation During the first fifteen years of existence Borzhava railway was privately owned and existed in the form of a joint-stock company which was called BGV — Borzsavölgyi Gazdasági Vasút (Economic Railroad of Borzhava Valley) — When I ask people about their opinion on who could build this railroad usually they reply that it was some rich man for the construction of the railway in 1904 a joint-stock company (JSC) was established which consisted of the communities of the settlements on the territory through which the railroad runs Each settlement had delegated one representative asked the bank for a loan for the construction of the track I believe that this is an important experience for certain projects in modern Ukraine i.e. there is governmental support and there is a financial institution that works with all this The network of the railroads of Borzhava narrow-gauge was made according to Bosnian standard and had a width of 760 mm The maximum incline was 33% and the minimum radius of the track was 100 meters the passenger traffic was carried only on two parts of the railway while the others were under active construction One of the important factors was the spring flood which temporarily led to a reduction in train traffic Freight traffic began a bit later and was associated with a gradual adjusting of trade contacts between lowland and mountain areas — In 1889 the regular World Exhibition took place in Paris engineer Paul Decauvillle presented a narrow-gauge railway system as the most economical model of the fast construction of the qualitative transport infrastructure showing the process of fast construction for a railway that was three kilometres long and consisted of four stations This project was implemented by Swedish entrepreneurs in Gothenburg city the next year We can compare the years of the Exhibition in Paris (1889) and commissioning of Borzhava NGR (1908) some similar historical monument of a technical nature in the same pro-European connection — At that time it was the railway of the future Such narrow-gauges appeared all over Europe at the same rate as new smartphones models appear nowadays the Soviet government came to Zakarpattia and the railway reform was started At that time the most important task was to replace the European type railroads with the wide railroads which were the standard of the railways in the Russian Empire and later in the USSR a few narrow-gauges were “re-sewed” to the Soviet system — from 760 mm to 750 mm The transition for broad-gauges was completed within just two years while narrow-gauges were completely switched to the new standard only in 1950 the length of Borzhava narrow-gauge was 107 km and the railroads were extended to 123 km after the war there was no passenger traffic on many parts of the railroad for a long time In Soviet times the narrow-gauge railway was actively used for the transportation of the employees of enterprises of Irshava district engineering factories and even a coal mine were using the narrow-gauge railway the history of the independent Ukrainian railway began After UkrZaliznytsia became an owner of the narrow-gauge The peak of all problems here happened in 1994 when there was a crisis with the supply of fuel which was caused by the lack of orders for freight transportation by the companies in the region In the days of the successful operation of the railway passenger traffic stopped almost completely Passenger traffic was operational only on the segment between Vynohradiv and Khmilnyk where the narrow-gauge railway was the only effective passenger transportation The railway connection to Irshava from Berehove stopped as well Vasyl Petrovych Kotsan from Velykyi Rakivets He was the local representative of the president At that time there was such a thing – a representative of the president did not work in governmental organisations He was just director of the state farm in the Velykyi Rakivets Vasyl Petrovych was the first who asked railroaders to save the railway connection from Berehove to Irshava passenger traffic is available only from Vynohradiv to Khmilnyk The rest of the railroad is still used for freight transportation Diesel locomotive TU-2 (made in 1972) operates for passenger traffic The carriages are a bit more modern (made in the early 1980s) — Activists have worked hard to organise tourist trips during weekends but it is quite difficult to reconcile with the interests of the railway because the railway always asks impossibly high prices… — We are continuously having a discussion with the authority of UkrZaliznytsia and the Ministry of Infrastructure The main problem is that today’s train speed is only 15 kilometres per hour the train will use significantly less fuel and the railway will be faster than the bus transportation UkrZaliznytsia does not care about saving money and efficiency and also does not work on upgrading and restoring the carriages But they want to cut it for some scrap metal The railway has decided that these carriages are not “alive” anymore we will take one for ourselves.” These carriages are Polish — In 2004 I went to Kirpa (Heorhiy Kirpa — the minister of transport and telecommunications of Ukraine at the time — author) I was asked to pay three thousand dollars just to get there But it did not mean anything and nothing was guaranteed It was possible that I would go there and they would just offer me a coffee… Very cool You pay 3000 just to drink coffee at the reception… I do not want to speak ill of him because many things in UkrZaliznytsia have been positively changed when he was the minister there is a tradition in Ukraine that you have to hide behind your authority and “approach the person” only through payment Denys believes that the most important stage of the development Borzhava narrow-gauge was its recognition as a historic monument of local importance on the territory of Irshava district this decision could have been made decades before and the current situation would have been much better using the experience of neighbouring Hungary we should ban the destruction of rolling stock — locomotives The next step has to be studying the propositions and possibilities of using the narrow-gauge in the organization of tourist traffic the part of the railroad from Vynohradiv to Khmilnyk should serve as transportation for the inhabitants of the surrounding villages even the purchasing of buses and their maintenance will not replace the railroad — Local activists have offered UkrZaliznytsia to rent the narrow-gauge railway for a small fee on the terms that the railway will be maintained and operated in neighbouring Poland from 2009 to 2012 part of the Bieszczady Forest Railway was reconstructed rolling stock and related infrastructure such as stations and cafes But UkrZaliznytsia says that they need 8 million for the annual maintenance of Borzhava narrow-gauge because with such an amount of money it is possible to make quality changes all the time — We are ready to cooperate with Polish colleagues and learn from their experience we can create a joint-stock company of the Borzhava narrow-gauge railway and foundation “Borzhava narrow-gauge” We can do all this together with the village councils (Irshava Vynohradiv and Zakarpattia Regional Council and Lviv railway) To the founders of the joint-stock company we would also add the local authorities and municipal enterprises The authorities must take over partial support of the activities of the company the company would indirectly take over control of the investments and modernization of rolling stock All this would make it possible to provide quality transportation services and work towards a gradual increase in profitability Even though this project requires significant state support Because in the future it will help to attract additional resources Denys is fluent in several languages and accompanies tourist groups which have started to come here quite often Small festivals with Borzhava narrow-gauge fans take place here sometimes There are a lot of fans of the narrow-gauge Some locals speak about it with some special warmth wrote the following in his memoirs about his father: and even very fast and impulsive sometimes firmly sitting on the rough benches in the carriage In this way we travelled from the village of Bilky to Irshava music school It was still better than trying to get into the bus with a big crowd The bus was from Dovhe village and was very unreliable the bus would not stop and furtively pass by Afterwards the bus could bark and burp with all its poisonous petrol smoke they are very concerned because they cannot provide proper comfortable conditions to those who come here fifty people come to us to have a ride on the railway Let’s assume that all these people will order wine tasting so they bring a few thousand to the village which does not have any other business you can increase the price of the tourist groups’ transportation even if the tickets will cost three times more In the spring I was trying to organise it so that this carriage would be attached to the main train which we use for the tourists that is used in the South-West railway and goes from Dnipro to Kyiv costs 90 hryvnias per kilometre; and our wooden freight carriage would cost 420 hryvnias per kilometre adding one more carriage will just slightly increase the amount of consumed diesel fuel you will get an amount that is much less than seven thousand We are walking through shrubs along the railroad Bitsihli (bicycle in Zakarpattia) and “Anka” are his main transport and we fully feel the amazing energy of these places Denys is initiating many projects at the same time in order to bring people’s attention to this place when the ordinary train becomes festive and children come from all around Denys dresses up as Saint Nicholas and gives presents to the children All the other days he works as a teacher of the computer science at a school and always spends time to protect and restore the important historical landmark — Borzhava narrow-gauge the railway of the future — the one that is forgotten by many people and some people did not even know about it at all Involved in the preparation of the material 7 volunteers Project support: Fundacja Euromaidan-Warszawa Use of materials is only permitted upon providing the source: Ukrainer.net Дизайн — Артем Зубкевич Розробка — Deluxcode Ukraine has passed measures aimed at limiting the use of minority languages in education throughout the country it was an attempt to bolster the Ukrainian identity at a time when Russian influence posed a serious threat For many in Ukraine’s small ethnic Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region at the western edge of the country it was an affront to their children’s right to learn in the mother tongue and a threat to the continued survival of Hungarian culture in a land that Hungarians have called home for a millennium there were seventy-two Hungarian-language schools in Ukraine attended by roughly 13,000 students Luke Larson explores the situation of Hungarian-language education in Ukraine with Berta Katona-Mironova the principal of a Hungarian-language school serving students grades 1–12 in the Hungarian-majority town of Nagydobrony (Velyka Dobron) She touches on the importance of Hungarian-language education to the minority population the strength of the Hungarian identity among young people the positive changes Ukraine approved this past December Why is it so important for the Hungarians living in Transcarpathia that students can learn in Hungarian Self-definition is very important for all people identity and mother tongue are inseparable concepts The development of a sense of identity is strongly influenced by mother tongue education I could perhaps cite this as a significant reason for learning Hungarian but there is another factor of equal importance as well as acquiring knowledge and expertise can only be done effectively Knowledge acquired in the mother tongue is the surest foundation We know what a disadvantage it is when someone cannot be a good student simply because they do not know the language and are not learning in their mother tongue and what it means when someone does not know things that are part of a Hungarian person’s general education This disadvantage is almost impossible to make up for later the mother tongue is a means and an opportunity for fulfilment and self-fulfilment In the words of György Bessenyei: ‘Every nation becomes a scholar in its own language What has changed in Transcarpathian Hungarian schools in recent years since the education law What has been the impact on students and the community The language aspects of the education law have frightened all members of our community it seemed impossible that in our schools the language of private communication between us should not be Hungarian and that our events and national celebrations should not be in our mother tongue Some parents even transferred their children from state schools to private institutions or secondary schools in Hungary to avoid trouble This was a break for the children concerned as they had to leave their familiar environment and friends and pray for change before taking such a step Do you think the amendments to the education law approved by the Ukrainian government in December will improve the problems the introduction of the strict language law in education has not yet taken place—we have been given a grace period We hope that the amendments will be enacted or that we can even return to the pre-2015 situation The Hungarian population in Transcarpathia is estimated to have decreased Do you think there is hope for the future of Hungarians in Transcarpathia the Hungarian population in Transcarpathia has decreased significantly the economic recession of the war is also affecting all areas A significant factor for the future of the Hungarian population in Transcarpathia is the end of the war and the guarantee of minority rights people will experience that there is a future for them in Transcarpathia If we do not have to deal with everyday insecurity then those who remain at home will not emigrate after the war and most of those who are not at home at the moment will come home but the Hungarian people of Transcarpathia have always withstood the test of time and are still here The Hungarian Government and Hungarian society stand by the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia and we know that our community can always count on the support of the motherland This is a great preserving and motivating force for us all were entrusted with the Hungarian language and culture in a fragment of our homeland: Transcarpathia That is why our most important task is to preserve and promote our traditions to cherish and further enrich our linguistic heritage in the place where we were born Does the majority stay in Transcarpathia or leave Fortunately, there are several options open to Transcarpathian graduates: they can continue their studies either at home or in the motherland. Some of the students who finish their studies in Hungary stay there for good, but some return home. Another great opportunity for our graduates is the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education the institution not only plays a prominent role in the higher education of Transcarpathian Hungarians in their mother tongue but also undertakes to cultivate Hungarian culture preserve and pass on our traditions and values and shape the positive outlook on life of young people Many of our graduates continue their studies at the Ungvár (Uzhhorod) National University Although the situation is often desperate as the war makes boys think twice about continuing their studies here the youth of Transcarpathia is trying to persevere and focus on the future and survival Is it more difficult for students who receive Hungarian-language education to integrate into Ukrainian society The level to which students learn Ukrainian at Hungarian schools and the extent to which this helps them to cope with life in society has a significant impact on their integration into society The question is how much knowledge of Ukrainian is necessary for a member of a national minority to thrive in a society This is perhaps not an educational question It is political because what is most decisive is how inclusive a given society or region is what rights and opportunities it gives them there are a significant number of people who have graduated from Hungarian schools and now hold leading positions there are also plenty of examples of talented children who do not succeed because they do not speak Ukrainian well current teaching methods are to blame for this Textbooks and methods are used in our schools which assume that children speak the state language which is why the teaching of Ukrainian in Hungarian schools is at a disadvantage compared to the teaching of foreign languages What is the relationship between Hungarian and Ukrainian young people Has it changed since the controversial education law The answer to this question lies in the ‘roots’ One of the characteristics of Transcarpathia is that it is multinational there has been a lot of mixing between nationalities Sometimes a family’s grandfather is Ukrainian the grandmother and great-grandmother are Hungarian and the great-grandfather is Croatian from Slavonia these multi-ethnic traits are rooted in everyone and all nationalities have been coexisting very well here It is not the linguistic difference that is the problem a wrong trend is beginning to emerge again: ‘if you eat Ukrainian bread Some extremists tend to ‘mess’ with Hungarian speakers so let us hope that this will no longer be the custom and that values will be put in their place and if they find themselves in a community where there is a mixture of Ukrainians and Hungarians Which institutions other than schools help to strengthen the Hungarian identity of young people in Transcarpathia The development of self-identity and sense of identity already begins in the cradle As children grow up and become part of the community they are very much influenced by the school environment but many other organizations help them develop their Hungarian identity which consciously focus attention on this: Is it common for young Hungarians in Transcarpathia to assimilate into the Ukrainian identity and completely lose their Hungarian culture Hungarian communities have always clung to their roots which they consider their duty to preserve and pass on The situation is easier for those living in a single block and the Ukrainian language is very difficult to learn due to the lack of a Ukrainian language environment and other factors Most of our young people do not blend into Ukrainian communities—they preserve their Hungarian identity in their traditions The danger is more acute for Hungarians living in the cities: they are increasingly affected by the language the various Hungarian social organizations have a major role to play in countering assimilation What measures has the Hungarian Government taken to support Hungarian-language schools in Transcarpathia The Hungarian Government considers it a very important task to take care of the Hungarians in Transcarpathia It does so both intellectually and financially We are very grateful to the Government for doing everything in its power to promote education in the mother tongue and to protect the use of the Hungarian language Our institutions have been renovated to a high standard thanks to the goodwill of the motherland new schools and kindergartens have been built the material and technical base of our institutions has been significantly enriched pupils and kindergarteners receive school enrolment and start-of-school grants every school year our students are provided with quality holidays during school vacations and the list goes on… The Rákóczi Association is also actively involved in this support—we have a lot to thank them for Are many Ukrainians sympathetic to the concerns of Transcarpathian Hungarians about education there are people with good and bad qualities we can also find people who understand our problems who perhaps by their very nature do not even want to understand our situation for whom it is natural that everyone in Ukraine should study in Ukrainian But it is at least positive that people who live in our immediate vicinity and who know us support us and sympathize with us Is there anything else that you think is worth mentioning Most people who grow up in Transcarpathia and then see the world realize that they were born here for a reason it becomes clear that they love everything around them even more This is the case for most of the refugees now: even if they are in the most comfortable corner of the world they dream of the beautiful landscapes of Transcarpathia because that very Transcarpathian blood and temperament never fades away persistent prayer of those who have stayed at home and those who have been forced to flee flies to the heavens that everyone can live their lives where they belong No one should be hindered by their nationality or minority status nor by any kind of trumped-up language law Read more on the situation in Transcarpathia: Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective This article was published more than 3 years ago Hungarian and European flags fly from the town hall of Berehove on March 7.ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images Ferenc Taracközi does not support his country’s war with Russia even for soldiers defending against a military invasion we say that no matter which side you are on the pastor of a Hungarian Reformed church in Berehove a small city of 23,000 that is the cultural capital for ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine He has a more personal reason for his opposition to the conflict It is an echo of a mantra from the Orban government in Hungary whose cozy relations with Russia and frequent diplomatic clashes with Ukraine have been magnified in the weeks since the war began Nowhere is the situation more fraught than in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region Zakarpattia was home to roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians but their language and culture have sometimes fit uneasily within a country seeking to sculpt an independent national identity in particular since the protests of 2013 and 2014 that saw a broad public rejection of closer ties with Russia Hungarians in Ukraine say Russia’s invasion has brought new suspicions of their community – and new hardships People interviewed by The Globe and Mail described state security questioning them over social media posts deemed to contain “separatist” content One person said they had been held at gunpoint for two hours at a checkpoint after delivering humanitarian goods – their licence plate indicated they were from Zakarpattia people collected mobile phones and moved them to a different room when the conversation turned to the war fearing security services might be listening “Everyone is sitting at home afraid,” said Viki Tarpai “You don’t need to do anything that is really separatist in order to be called one The Globe was shown a large stack of conscription notices in one village where the mayor has been instructed to hand them out to every male of fighting age Hungarians say they believe their communities have seen greater conscription demands than other parts of Ukraine The Globe is not identifying some of the people interviewed for this article to protect them from reprisals The Zakarpattia Regional Military Administration said in a statement that the allegation that all men in some Hungarian communities had been issued conscription notices is “unsubstantiated.” “Notification of draft-age citizens of Ukraine is carried out in the same way all over the country,” the statement said It did not provide comparative regional statistics on conscription “No distinction on the ethnic basis is applied,” the statement added It also rejected allegations that Hungarians in Ukraine have been targeted by security services “This is outright and quite widespread manipulation,” the statement said to prevent internal disturbance additional security measures are being implemented The relevant agencies are watchful over the subversive and disruptive activities including the spread of Russian propaganda “There are no persecutions based on ethnicity for statements and posts in social media and it is applied to everyone without any exceptions But the war has raised tensions between Ukraine and Hungary Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been highly critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin and forbidden the movement of lethal weapons from Hungary to Ukraine “Everyone knows very well who in the European Union opposes humanity and common sense and who does nothing at all to help establish peace in Ukraine and Europe must stop listening to the excuses of Budapest,” Mr after winning a fourth consecutive election in early April Zelensky one of his “opponents.” During the campaign Orban pledged to keep his country out of the war Hungarians living in Ukraine say they don’t support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion “It is extremely important for everyone to understand that we are not on Putin’s side in this,” said Gyorgy “No normal-thinking person would want to live in a war zone.” including men who swam across the border to Hungary to avoid conscription understands why some people might find it hard to understand local opposition to the war But if you understand the situation for Hungarians in Ukraine “you may draw your own conclusions about why we do not feel this is our war,” he said Ukraine “expects Hungarians to support this with everything we have,” Gyorgy added “But I would ask this question: Why would I give my all What did you do as a country to earn my respect?” a Ukrainian man entered Gyorgy’s store and became aggressive toward his staff “He kept provoking the people working there ‘You are only allowed to speak Ukrainian on Ukrainian soil,’” Gyorgy said The situation grew so tense that “he needed to be thrown out.” Viktor has similarly had Ukrainian people complain about the use of Hungarian you would not find a single headstone with a Ukrainian name on it.” who today comprise just 12 per cent of the population in Zakarpattia have been caught up in Ukraine’s efforts to promote national cohesion Legislation passed in 2019 establishes Ukrainian as the country’s only state language mandating its instruction from middle school onward and obligating citizens to be conversant the law requires employees to address customers in Ukrainian before switching to other languages The law has drawn criticism from human-rights groups and angered the Kremlin accused Kyiv of a “policy to root out the Russian language and culture and promote assimilation.” “People who identify as Russians and want to preserve their identity language and culture are getting the signal that they are not wanted in Ukraine,” he said sharing that opinion of the law with the Kremlin has done little to promote warm relations with their neighbours those in Zakarpattia have joined the effort to help people who have fled eastern Ukraine for safer places our church has been open to refugees,” said Mr All the Hungarian Reformed churches in the region have been similarly hospitable But for communities with large Hungarian populations Hundreds of thousands of displaced Ukrainians have travelled through the region Taracközi’s congregation has declined to less than half its size before the war And “out of those people who have left,” he said “20 to 30 per cent are not so much as considering the idea of coming back.” Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Nathan VanderKlippe is an international correspondent for The Globe and Mail where his reporting took him across the region to cover political developments He won the World Press Freedom Canada award and a National Newspaper Award for his stories on the plight of the Uyghurs in China he served multiple terms on the board of the Foreign Correspondents Club of China VanderKlippe was a print and television correspondent in Western Canada based in Calgary His reporting has been recognized by Amnesty International The Society of American Business Editors and Writers and The International China Journalists Association \n \n \n \n \n \n \n {{else}}\n \n {{/if}}\n {{this.credit}}\n \n {{/each}}\n \n \n {{#each media}}\n {{#each textbox}}\n \n \n \n {{#if text}}\n {{#if title}}\n {{{title}}}\n {{/if}}\n {{#each text}}\n {{{this}}} If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted UPDATED: Read our community guidelines here We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons or for abuse. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions We use cookies to improve your experience of using our website Please let us know if you agree to the use of these cookies The Moderator of the General Assembly has visited Ukraine and Hungary to find out how donations from Church of Scotland members are being used to support people affected by the war Lord Wallace spent two days with Church of Scotland partners in the region to learn more about their humanitarian response to the impact of Russia's unprovoked military attack which has led to the deaths of thousands of people and millions of refugees fleeing Ukraine Congregations and individuals have donated £367,277 so far to help the Reformed Churches in the area and the support is being put to very good use to assist people who have lost everything Lord Wallace met with representatives of the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia in Berehove The Church is historically Hungarian speaking and has close links with the Reformed Church in Hungary The Church of Scotland has had a relationship with the Transcarpathian Church for some decades Described as a "hugely worthwhile and poignantly rewarding" visit the purpose was also to offer moral and spiritual support and express solidarity for people who have fled their homes within Ukraine as well as from the country and with those who work tirelessly to help refugees Lord Wallace said: "The resilience and vision of the Reformed Church congregations in Ukraine is quite remarkable "Every bit as moving is their deep appreciation of our continued prayers for them "We saw that the financial gifts of the congregations in Scotland are being well used in feeding the hungry and in offering support to families and individuals." A diaconal house owned by the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia in Berehove houses 80 internally displaced people Two floors of rooms at the College of the Reformed Church are being used by refugees who fled the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with her family The English teacher explained that her husband is a dentist and when the bombing started they hid in his clinic with their children and prayed to God They sheltered for a few days then decided to leave the city early one morning before the bombing started again The family packed themselves into their car and drove the length of the country and found sanctuary in the Reformed college in Berehove Lord Wallace visited a local bakery built and run by the Church's Diaconal Coordination Office over 20 years ago to feed those in need in the community the Diaconal Coordination Office prepares 200 hot meals daily for the housebound and elderly the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia maintains its commitment to the needs of the Roma people While other government institutions remain closed they continue to welcome Roma children to their kindergarten and after school club A new government rule demands that all schools must have a bunker in case of a missile attack therefore the church has adapted cellars and storerooms to meet this condition Lord Wallace also heard that the Church continues its work through its radio station where they broadcast programmes which speak about key issues from a Christian perspective He learned that Reformed Church in Hungary Aid is also providing vans to help move around goods and people to places of safety Drivers need to cross to Hungary to fill with petrol as there is so little available in Ukraine Lord Wallace also visited St Columba's Church of Scotland in the Hungarian capital of Budapest to hear about the important work it does to support refugees Rev Aaron Stevens and a key group of members told him that the congregation is providing food parcels to 25-30 families each week – around 80-90 people who have no means of support The church runs a café to enable people to socialise which is very important to those living in isolated places who do not get much chance to mix The young children have especially enjoyed the time to play with each other Moderator attends service to mark third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine Lady Elish Angiolini appointed as Lord High Commissioner to the 2025 General Assembly Photographic exhibition will focus on Ukrainian experience as Fife kirk marks refugee week Contact us The Hungarian government supports ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia including “promotion of their fundamental rights and restoring their rights to use the (Hungarian) language,” Gergely Gulyás the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office said at a ceremony opening the new academic year at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s new building at Berehove (Beregszász) on Sunday In his address, Gulyás thanked Viktor Mikita for honouring the event and “demonstrating through his presence the importance of cooperation between Hungarians and Ukrainians in such hard times” The Hungarian government condemns “Russia’s aggression launching the war and violating (Ukraine’s) territorial integrity” According to Gulyás, Hungary has provided aid worth a total 35 billion forints (EUR 90m) to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war while Hungarian charity organisations have sent thousands of tonnes of food and other supplies worth some 10 billion forints Tens of thousands of refugees have been accommodated in Hungary and over one million were allowed transit to other countries Hungary strives for good neighbourly relations and “wants to be a friend to Ukraine” but added that those efforts were impeded by “the one-sidedness of gestures deliberate misunderstanding and measures curbing the rights of the Hungarian minority” Ukraine “rightfully complains about the violation of its sovereignty” but it “overlooks fundamental rights due to its ethnic minorities as well as international norms,” he said “Hungarians fighting and sacrificing their lives for Ukraine deserve to be considered as Ukraine’s own citizens and be returned what (Ukraine) stripped them of the free use of their mother tongue … especially in education,” he insisted The new MCC building has been erected “in preparation for a better future after the war” “Let us pray and work for the war to end as soon as possible and peace to come,” he added Governor Mikita thanked Hungary for the humanitarian aid provided The peoples of Transcarpathia “have lived peacefully together for a thousand years and I will do everything that it does not change in future,” he added and website in this browser for the next time I comment Y"},"category":false,"taxonomy":{"active":false,"name":"category"}},"markup":{"custom_html":true,"wpp-start":"","wpp-end":"<\/ul>","title-start":"","title-end":"<\/h2>","post-html":"{thumb} {title} {stats}<\/span>{excerpt}<\/p><\/li>"},"theme":{"name":""}} You have successfully 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