The Ukrainian secret service SBU has revealed an intimidation campaign by Russian services against the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
Mar 19, 2026, 4:08 amMar 19, 2026, 4:08 am
The SBU in Kiev said this would further strain the tense relationship between Hungary and Ukraine.
Hungarians also live in the west of Ukraine (the city of Lviv in the picture).Image: keystone
Accordingly, members of the minority in the Zakarpattia region in western Ukraine received anonymous calls. The unknown persons posed as Ukrainian police officers or national activists, it was said. They threatened the Hungarians and asked them to leave Ukraine. The origin of the calls is technically concealed, but they came from Russia. There were no independent reports on the incident. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha also spread the news on the X portal.
Hungary traditionally acts as a protective power for the Hungarian minorities in its neighboring countries. Tens of thousands of ethnic Hungarians live in Ukraine. The right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban is currently fighting against a possible defeat in the next parliamentary election. As a close ally of Russia, he has chosen Ukraine as an enemy.
During the election campaign, he accused her of blocking Russian oil deliveries and wanting to involve Hungary in the war. Budapest is also blocking an EU loan of 90 billion euros to Kiev and wants to veto Ukraine’s possible EU accession. (sda/dpa)