I’ve been talking about this a lot recently, but, it is worth, for posterity, providing a bit of an overview of Zakarpattia,and why Hungary is spying on it.
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Zakarpattia is in the news. It’s quite rare that this south-western oblast gets mentioned in international news. Unlike the rest of the country, it’s not been subject to the atrocities and horrific tragedies of Russia’s invasion.
That’s not to say the war doesn’t affect us here. Many people from all over the country moved here. In a way, that includes me, as my wife and I used to be in Kyiv. The surge of new arrivals, the air sirens that bellow when missiles go in unclear directions or even fly over the area (sometimes getting shot down), the returning bodies of soldiers, men joining up to fight or being drafted, it’s all part of life.
Nonetheless, many people have never heard of it outside of Central Eastern Europe, which is a shame, as its history is complex and fascinating, its linguistic and cultural identity unique, not to mention the food. It also offers some stunning natural scenery and quaint architecture.
So why is it in the news? Well, Hungary was spying on the oblast, specifically investigating security capabilities, military locations, and assessing the potential response from the locals if Hungarian soldiers were to arrive for “peacekeeping”. Hungary then apparently found spies working as diplomats from Ukraine, coincidentally, the same day the Ukrainian SBU released its findings, and expelled them, and Ukraine also did the same.
But why this region? We have to go back a bit and understand its geography and culture. Now, I intend to explore this slowly, but I will give an overview today.
Zakarpattia is located in the southwest, bordering Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania. Half of it is mountainous, the rest is flatter, and you can find a lot of wine production in the region, restored after the Gorbachev era prohibition. It is generally quite rural, with some resource gathering, tourism, and, prior to the full-scale invasion, a lot of people making money abroad and returning. Or selling goods on either side, sometimes legal, sometimes contraband (hence why the border crossings can be very thorough).
It is a mix of cultures and languages. Ukrainian, Hungarian, Slovak, Polish, Romanian, Russian, and a lot of mountainous dialects, can be heard. It has historically been home to many different groups, the aforementioned, and Roma, Jews, Hutsuls, Lemkos, Rusyns and others.
It is reflected in the food as well, with dishes similar to those you find in neighbouring countries. For example, Goulash is a frequent feature of menus, as are Slovak style giant potato pancakes, Bograch is a local soup which is very heavy on paprika, and every fridge stocks Hungarian style Eros Pishta, a spicy pepper paste.
I will only go back to the beginning of the last century in terms of history. It was part of Austro-Hungary for a significant amount of time, then, after the Treaty of Triannon, was part of Czechoslovakia, which developed the region significantly. Then, in 1939, the Ukrainian majority attempted to take their own country as the Nazis took Czechslovakia and installing their Slovak proxy. They hoped it would last, but the Nazis were happy for Hungary to attack, who violently attacked the Carpatho-Ukraine Republic, which officially lasted one day. The Hungarians ruled, deporting the Jewish population to Auschwitz in 1944. Then, with the Red Army’s arrival, it became part of the USSR, specifically, the Ukrainian SSR.
Under the USSR, demographics changed further. Many Russian speaking Ukrainians, Russians, and others, were relocated to russify the region Senior military members were, allegedly though I have yet to find evidence beyond family stories, given property as a reward in the region.
In 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, it became part of the newly independent Ukraine. Some discussed becoming part of Hungary, or independent, but nothing ever came of it as most were content to be Ukrainian.
Yet, certain “raions” or “regions” let’s say, had, and still have, a significant Hungarian speaking population, around 13% of the Oblast, and some other towns and villages mostly speak Romanian, or some mix of other languages.
The presence of Hungarians is a part of life here, as is that of Ukrainians. Hungary, however, was keen to allocate passports to the Hungarian speakers. When Ukraine changed its language laws to require mandatory Ukrainian in secondary education, the public sector, and then later in business, Hungary, among others, and some speakers themselves, felt a degree of oppression and coercion. This has led to claims of oppression, particularly from Orban and pro-Russians, as a way to paint Ukraine as oppressive in its desire for a national language.
Now, there are fair criticisms of the language laws. In fact, the laws even changed in 2024 at the initiative of locals to give greater flexibility in education. Hungary has even cancelled talks on the minority over their anger at Ukraine for…finding their spying operation on their territory. So, it shows they are using them as a prop.
Orban loves to claim oppression from history, with Triannon, and the oppression of its speakers abroad. However, this is very reminiscent of Russia. We cannot support people changing borders on claims of “Protecting __ speakers” as it’s a classic excuse of authoritarians. In this region, not just in Ukraine, like in many border regions, identity is mixed.
Many Hungarian speakers are also proudly Ukrainian, especially seeing how Orban has refused to help Ukraine, blamed them for starting the war, and those less patriotic, with their Hungarian passports, have left. Meaning, there’s no desire for border changes. It’s sad delusions of a bitter autocrat who, unfortunately, has ruined his country in many ways and through many oppressive ways, and remains in power in an EU and NATO country.
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