The Russian thesis on the partition of Ukraine, promoted in Hungary and Romania

The Russian thesis on the partition of Ukraine, promoted in Hungary and Romania
© EPA-EFE/TAMAS KOVACS   |   Laszlo Toroczkai (C), chairman of the opposition Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazank Mozgalom) holds a press conference after the general election and national referendum on the child protection law in Budapest, Hungary, 03 April 2022.

The leader of a far-right party in Hungary has laid claim to Transcarpathia, shortly after the AUR party in Romania lodged a similar claim to Northern Bukovina. The thesis is typical of Russian propaganda.

Transcarpathia, claimed by the Hungarian far-right

If Ukraine loses the war and is divided, the “Our Homeland” Party will claim the Transcarpathia region for Hungary, according to the leader of this far-right party, Laszlo Toroczkai. The statement came on the sidelines of the annual party conference, attended, among others, by representatives of other extremist parties from EU Member States, including AfD (Alternative for Germany), and Rebirth, a Bulgarian party known for its pro-Russian stances.

This is not the first time Laszlo Toroczkai makes such statements. In 2022, on the National Day of Poland, the Hungarian politician expressed hope Hungary would restore its border with Poland – which was the case when Transcarpathia was controlled by Budapest. At the time, the statement was criticized by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

The right-wing in Ukraine, hostile towards Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orban is regarded as one of Vladimir Putin’s friends in Europe

Our Homeland is not the first party in Hungary to tackle the issue of Transcarpathia. A few years ago, Jobbik, a party that since then has toned down its rhetoric, but which back then was considered a far-right party, would constantly militate for the autonomy of Hungarians in this region. Jobbik’s demands came amidst a campaign launched by the Russian Federation, focusing on narratives regarding the independence claims of the Hungarian ethnic minority in Transcarpathia. Hungarian ethnics account for one of the nationalities of this Ukrainian region, which is also home to a community of Romanians, and where the majority population is represented by Ukrainian nationals.

Territorial claims are not officially backed by the right-wing government in Budapest. In a talk with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy,  Prime Minister Viktor Orban last year expressed support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

On the other hand, however, Hungary-Ukraine relations have in the last year gone through some rough edges. Budapest has called on Kyiv to grant a number of rights to the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, criticizing Ukraine’s education legislation. At present, Hungary vetoes an EU financial assistance package for Ukraine worth 50 billion EUR, which is of vital importance, considering US funds for Kyiv are temporarily on hold, and Ukraine’s ammo and weapons caches are not enough to fend off the Russian pressure. Viktor Orban’s Hungary is in fact one of the EU and NATO states that have sympathized with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which is a direct beneficiary of any suspension of aid for Ukraine.

Ukraine’s territorial integrity, challenged in Romania as well by former Foreign Ministers and far-right politicians

In a speech held in Iași, the chairman of the National Council of AUR, Claudiu Târziu, has called for the annexation of Romanian territories in Ukraine. The statement of the former co-president of AUR, at present a candidate for the European Parliament election this year, echoes the revisionist rhetoric also promoted by Senator Diana Șoșoacă, who in turn has called for the annexation of Ukrainian territories in the spring of last year.

Two former Foreign Ministers of Romania, Andrei Marga and Adrian Severin, have in turn questioned the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Andrei Marga said Ukraine has “unnatural borders” and “has to concede territories to Hungary (Transcarpathia), Poland (Galicia), Romania (Bukovina) and Russia (Donbas and Crimea)”. Adrian Severin, who upon receiving a prison sentence for corruption has become a vocal critic of Romania’s Western partners, calling for closer relations with Russia, said Ukraine was built “based on the Stalinist principles underlying the Soviet people’s republics”, hence “the need for a Trianon treaty”.

The thesis on the partition of Ukraine and the artificial nature of this country, widely circulated by Kremlin propaganda

The thesis stating that Ukraine is an artificial state, invented by the Soviets, has been promoted by Russian propaganda even before the launch of the full-scale invasion of February 2022. Vladimir Putin spoke about the so-called Novorossiya project – a territory also including eastern and southern Ukraine – after Russia invaded and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in the spring of 2014. The thesis has been regularly reiterated – in 2021, for instance, a retired Russian general spoke about the annexation of six Ukrainian regions. Also in 2021, a former advisor to the president of the Russian Federation said that Ukraine’s borders should be subject to international negotiation.

The promotion of such false narratives picked up speed after February 24, 2022. They also include the main false theses promoted by Russia and debunked by Veridica both in 2022 as well as in 2023. Such narratives referred not only to territories that are allegedly claimed by Russia, Hungary or Romania, but also to Western Ukraine, which according to Russian propaganda, is expected to be annexed by Poland

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