Szijjártó summons Ukrainian ambassador over vandalism of church in Transcarpathia

Ukraine's ambassador to Hungary has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade over the arson attempt on a church in the Transcarpathian village of Palad'-Komarivsti, and the Hungarian government is going to transfer the funds necessary for the restoration within the day, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Thursday in Budapest, according to a statement from the ministry.

It was first reported by the pro-government Mandiner on Thursday that there had been an arson attempt against a Greek Catholic church in Palad'-Komarivsti. The paper writes that thanks to the quick intervention, the fire was not able to spread further, but the door of the sacristy still suffered significant damage.

According to the paper, which also published a photo, the perpetrators also left anti-Hungarian messages on the wall of the church: “Put Hungarians on a knife!” and “Get out, Hungarians!”

"It is unacceptable, outrageous, shocking and disappointing that such brutal attacks against an ethnic minority can take place in a country that is supposedly seeking to join the European Union," Szijjártó said.

The foreign minister emphasized that these anti-Hungarian attacks began ten years ago in the form of laws, when they first started systematically taking away the language rights of the Hungarian community in Ukraine. “For ten years, they have been systematically, through legislation, restricting their access to using their Hungarian mother tongue, by depriving them of the opportunity to study in their own language. That is how these attacks began,” he said.

"The Ukrainian state is responsible for all of this. For ten years now, we have been asking them to stop. For ten years, we have been raising the issue of serious attacks against Hungarians in Transcarpathia at every international forum. It started with laws, continued with forced conscription and physical abuse, and now an arson attack against a church," the minister said.

He also condemned the fact that European political leaders are turning a blind eye and are refusing to acknowledge that in Ukraine, which they intend to fast-track into the European Union, “there are brutal, open attacks combined with physical intimidation against the Hungarian ethnic community.”

"The rhetorical question then is: where are the NGOs, where are the human rights activists, where are Soros' organizations, and where are all those who are scrutinizing every Hungarian legislative amendment? Why is Brussels silent at a time like this?" he asked.

The photo published in the paper was also shared by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on his social media page. The PM wrote: “Forced conscription, murder, arson at a church, incitement, intimidation. All of this is being done to our people, to Hungarians in Transcarpathia. We are not going to have it, you can count on us!”

Fidesz politician Alexandra Szentkirályi also shared the photo. She wrote that “such news breaks one’s heart”, and then proceeded to elaborate on all the reasons why Ukraine should not be allowed into the European Union. “Haven’t the people of the Carpathian Basin suffered enough? Here we are in 2025, and they are trying to kill us and banish us from the place we have lived in for the past 1100 years, simply for being Hungarian and speaking Hungarian? It is deeply upsetting that such a thing can happen in Europe today. We believe that there is no place for either racial, ethnic, language-based or religion-based discrimination in the European Union. Until they learn this in Ukraine, they shouldn’t even dream about being members of the European Union” – the politician wrote.

Growing tensions

The tensions between Ukraine and Hungary have increased significantly in recent weeks. More than a week has passed since the death of József Sebestyén, a Hungarian man from Ukraine's region of Transcarpathia, but what happened to him in the days and weeks prior to his death remains unclear. Hungarian pro-government newspapers reported that he was beaten so severely during the mobilization that he died from his injuries. Two videos of him recorded during this time have also emerged: in one, he can be seen on all fours, and in the other, while in serious pain, he is seen asking the paramedics for help, who only responded by telling him to pull himself together and stand up. Telex went to Transcarpathia to ask locals about their comments on the tragedy. Ukraine has launched a comprehensive investigation on the case.