Russian drones struck Ukraine\u2019s Transcarpathia region on Wednesday in what authorities described as the largest attack on the western region since the beginning of the full-scale war in 2022.<\/p>\n
The strikes targeted several settlements<\/a> across the oblast, which is home to a significant ethnic Hungarian minority population, with explosions reported in Uzhhorod (Ungv\u00e1r), Mukachevo (Munk\u00e1cs), and Svaliava (Szolyva). According to reports, more than 800 drones were launched against targets across Ukraine nationwide, including railway, energy, and civilian infrastructure, while at least three people were killed in attacks elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n Hungarian Prime Minister P\u00e9ter Magyar announced following Wednesday\u2019s cabinet meeting that Russia\u2019s ambassador to Budapest had been summoned to the foreign ministry after the strikes on Transcarpathia, marking one of Hungary\u2019s strongest direct diplomatic reactions towards Moscow since 2022.<\/p>\n Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orb\u00e1n said in an earlier video statement that Hungarian authorities were aware of five drone impacts at the time of recording: two near Svaliava, one in Uzhhorod, and two others scattered across additional settlements. According to the minister, one of the strikes near Svaliava hit a railway station transformer, while the Uzhhorod strike targeted an industrial facility.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n added that the Hungarian government remained in continuous contact with Hungary\u2019s consul general in the region and had repeatedly requested updates on the situation. \u2018We strongly condemn the attack. We hope there have been no personal injuries,\u2019 the minister stated.<\/p>\n Former Minister heading the Prime Minister\u2019s Office and current Fidesz parliamentary group leader Gergely Guly\u00e1s also condemned the attack. \u2018The Hungarians of Transcarpathia are not responsible for the war. We condemn the Russian drone attack in the strongest possible terms and consider it unacceptable,\u2019 he wrote in a social media post following the strikes.<\/p>\n The unprecedented scale of the strikes targeting Transcarpathia came just one day after the cabinet of P\u00e9ter Magyar<\/a> officially took office, formally ending the sixteen-year rule of former prime minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n and Fidesz\u2013KDNP. Speculation quickly emerged that the timing might not be coincidental.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n had long been regarded as the closest ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin within the European Union and was frequently accused by critics of acting in Moscow\u2019s interests against those of Ukraine by obstructing sanctions on Russia and delaying financial and military assistance to Kyiv.<\/p>\n Hungary\u2019s relationship with Russia became one of the defining issues of the campaign leading up to the 12 April election, which ended in a landslide victory for the Tisza Party. Magyar framed the vote as a referendum on whether Hungary\u2019s future would remain tied primarily to the West or drift further towards Russia.<\/p>\n The campaign period was also marked by accusations and signs of possible Russian interference, while former Foreign Minister P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 faced allegations of leaking confidential EU information<\/a> to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.<\/p>\n Many observers argue that the current strikes may represent a form of signalling or pressure from Moscow towards the new Hungarian government, which has rhetorically adopted a more pro-EU tone while simultaneously insisting that it intends to maintain Russian energy imports<\/a> and pragmatic relations with Russia.<\/p>\n The new administration also seeks a broader reset with Kyiv, with Magyar inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> to a meeting in Transcarpathia. At the same time, the prime minister emphasized that any genuine normalization of bilateral relations must include the restoration of Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine.<\/p>\n