Ethnic Hungarians have been having a tricky time in Ukraine
Hungary’s support for Russia has been a problem
“This is not our war,” says Dorottya, a kindergarten janitor, using the words of Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister. “This is a Hungarian village.” But Kidosh is in Ukraine, ten kilometres from the border, in a belt along the frontier inhabited mostly by ethnic Hungarians. Gabor, her 14-year-old son, says he does not feel Ukrainian, does not speak Ukrainian and since “life is not good here”, he wants to go to a boarding school in Hungary, whence he will probably never return.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “An uneasy minority”
Europe
March 18th 2023- Germany is at last tackling its long-standing economic weaknesses
- The alarming comeback of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party
- Ethnic Hungarians have been having a tricky time in Ukraine
- How Ukraine tamed Russian missile barrages and kept the lights on
- Europe has led the global charge against big tech. But does it need a new approach?

From the March 18th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionThe dangerous tension in Europe’s response to Trump
By trying to stop the rift, Europe may hasten it

Can Friedrich Merz get Europe out of its funk?
A new Merz-mentum could reboot the Franco-German motor at the heart of the EU
Can Europe keep Ukraine in the fight if America really has bailed?
Investing in Ukraine’s own weapons industry will be the best bet
As Trump suspends military aid, what are the chokeholds on Ukraine?
The war-torn country can substitute some—but nothing like all—of the kit it gets from America
Europe vows to defend Ukraine, but prays for Trump’s support
A summit in London is stalked by the fear America will walk away