Russia seeks to inflame tensions between Hungary and Ukraine and incite conflicts. To that end, Moscow—along with its embassy and media outlets—continues to circulate anti-Ukrainian false narratives.
This opinion was expressed by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Hungary Fedir Shandor in an interview with Ukrinform.
“We know exactly who is behind these information attacks. Unfortunately, the Hungarian side often reacts emotionally, without verifying the facts. But we must remain patient. The key question is: who stands to gain from this? The answer is clear — Russia. Its goal is to provoke conflict not only on the battlefield, but also in diplomacy, the economy, culture, and human relations,” he said.
The diplomat also left open the question of whether society can overcome cultural trauma while Russia continues to escalate tensions through provocative maneuvers. “I wouldn’t be surprised if, say, tomorrow we heard that Ambassador Shandor had killed Kennedy. That’s their style. With the rise of artificial intelligence, it’s easy to fabricate a sensation—and someone out there will believe it, no matter how absurd,” Shandor added.
The Ukrainian ambassador emphasized his commitment to verifying information firsthand. Upon receiving reports of anti-Hungarian graffiti in an elevator, he promptly contacted the local police and the Mukachevo mayor. Their investigation revealed that no such inscriptions were found—only outdated photos from eight years ago.
“We see where it all comes from — the Russian embassy and Kremlin-funded media outlets. They’re not concerned about spending; bots spread fake reports, and Hungarian officials respond. Take the arson at the Greek Catholic Church in the Zakarpattia village of Palad-Komarivtsi, home to a historically dense Hungarian community. Investigators concluded their work at the scene by 9:36 a.m.—yet by 10:08 a.m., a Hungarian news outlet had already published the story,” the diplomat said.
As earlier reported, Kocsis Máté, leader of the Fidesz faction in the Hungarian parliament, circulated photos allegedly showing anti-Hungarian inscriptions on elevator doors in Ukraine. At the time, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi urged Hungarian officials to refrain from commenting on the alleged graffiti.
Source: Russia spares no expense on disinformation: Ambassador warns about anti-Ukrainian fakes in Hungary
