Hungarian government lifts ban on Ukrainian news outlets blocked by previous administration

“Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have lifted the ban on Ukrainian media publications that had previously been blocked by Fidesz,” — Zoltán Tarr, Minister of Social Relations and Culture has announced on Facebook, recalling that the previous government had banned access to several Ukrainian news outlets in 2025 in response to “Ukraine blocking Hungarian newspapers that failed to adhere to press ethics and instead were spreading Russian propaganda and stirring up fears of a Third World War.” According to Gergely Gulyás’s announcement at the time, the previous administration had banned 12 Ukrainian online papers.

Tarr wrote that outlets spreading Russian propaganda cannot be conflated with the genuine, independent press, either in Hungary or elsewhere in the world. The minister went on to say that while the previous government had used the blocking of these websites to drive a wedge between nations, the current Hungarian government is working on building good-neighborly relations, which is also advantageous for the situation of Hungarians living beyond Hungary's borders—this is a shared, national cause.

“We consulted with Liliána Grexa, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian national minority in Hungary about the lifting of the ban. Following the decision made at her initiative, she noted that it means a great deal to the community of the Ukrainian minority and to the refugees living here to be able to stay informed in their native language about news concerning their country,” he said.

Following the previous government’s decision, we reported that Russia had already taken a step similar to Ukraine's before, when they blocked the independent Hungarian news site 444, making it the only banned Hungarian media outlet in the country. At the time, there was no report about the previous Hungarian government responding with any countermeasures.