The traveler should always be careful not to linger in one place for too long. Curiosity could fade and the place they found so intriguing suddenly becomes energy sapping. There is also the risk they will come across something so disturbing that it changes their opinion of the place. I am conscious that this could be the case in Berehove, the second stop on my itinerary for the lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders. The more I have researched Berehove, the greater the sense of disturbance. Its past is a minefield that can explode at any moment.
Perusing the monuments in Berehove, I was not surprised to find sculptures of such Hungarian heroes as the politician Lajos Kossuth, the poet Sandor Petofi, and the warrior Ferenc Rakoczi II strategically placed throughout the town center. Look long enough though and a less gallant history of Transcarpathia surfaces, one that still feels close at hand because it was so recent. There is the Monument to the Victims of World War II and communism, the Holocaust Memorial, World War II Memorial, and a mass grave of Soviet soldiers. Life in Berehove during the 20th century was horrific at times with deportations, invasions, and genocidal massacres. One of the greatest accomplishments for the inhabitants was survival.
War at home – Memorial to Ukrainians killed fighting in Donbas (Credit: Adam Jones)
Never Forget – Going To War
Eastern Europe’s horrible history seemed to be a thing of the past when I first began traveling there in 2011. The idea behind so many of the memorials in places like Berehove was to “never forget.” That way the same thing would not happen again. Memorials were to act as a form of eternal vigilance. These still did not stop the largest war in Europe since 1945 from engulfing Ukraine. Berehove was one of the first places to feel the harsh hand of war despite being twelve hundred kilometers from the front lines. Contrary to most media reports, Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2014 rather than 2022. The citizens of Berehove know this all too well. Soldiers from the town lost their lives fighting against Russian aggression long before the full-scale invasion that started on February 24, 2022. The Memorial to Ukrainians killed fighting in Donbas displays photos and wreaths in memory of soldiers killed in the fighting. The memorial is not just of national or regional interest, but also of intensely local interest.
The first Ukrainian citizen from the region to die in battle was an ethnic Hungarian. Roland Popovych, who grew up in Berehove, was only 19 years old when he was killed by Russian separatist forces at a checkpoint in Luhansk Oblast on June 14, 2014. Tragically, Popovych’s death was the first of many to come for soldiers from Zakarpattia Oblast (Transcarpathia). Hundreds of ethnic Hungarians are fighting for their Ukrainian homeland on the front lines against Russia. Many of them hold Hungarian passports (as do an estimated 100,000 ethnic Hungarians in Zakarpattia Oblast), but they have chosen to put their lives on the line for their country. This is not the story usually disseminated through the media. Instead, it is about the current Hungarian government’s lack of support for Ukraine and “neutral” policy regarding the war. This policy is at odds with Hungary’s NATO allies and fellow members of the European Union.
Reminders – Soviet soldiers graves in Berehove (Credit: ЯдвигаВереск)
Front Lines – War on the Homefront
Over the past decade, the Hungarian government has vociferously advocated for the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine. This has caused tension in the bilateral relationship between Hungary and Ukraine. One of the main points of contention was a language law that made Ukrainians the nation’s only official language. The law was passed after Russia illegally occupied Crimea and propagated war in the Donbas region. The law’s target was the Russian language which a large proportion of the population (many of them ethnic Russians) spoke in the eastern part of the country. Russia pretended to be defending the interests of Russian speakers in Ukraine, but instead were using them to destabilize Ukraine.
Ethnic Hungarians are caught in the middle of this long running dispute. Geopolitical analysts see the language law as a trojan horse used by the Hungarian government as an excuse to not support Ukraine’s effort to defend itself. The underlying issue is that Hungary relies on cheap Russian energy to power the country. Friendly relations with Russia keep the oil and gas flowing. The lack of support by Hungary for Ukraine has angered many Ukrainians and put a spotlight on the beleaguered Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia and centered in Berehove. Hungarians in Ukraine are caught between their mother tongue and duties as citizens of Ukraine. The same sort of issue has occurred repeatedly in the lands of Historic Hungary. It is one of those unintended consequences of the Treaty of Trianon that continues to cause problems.
Ethnic Hungarians have just as much reason to be worried about Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Ukrainians do. Those who live in Berehove are citizens of Ukraine first and foremost. That is not going to change no matter what the Hungarian government does. The ethnic Hungarian population in Zakarpattia has been living in an independent Ukraine for over thirty years and side by side with Ukrainians for much longer than that. Their history as part of independent Ukraine was peaceful until the Russian invasions of 2014 and 2022. While losing the ability to learn in their mother tongue is a worry for Hungarians in Ukraine, fighting against Russian aggression which threatens to destroy their country is much more important. This is why ethnic Hungarians have lost their lives on the battlefield and will continue to in the months to come.
Keeping an eye out – Man at a cafe in Berehove (Credit: Adam Jones)
Dividing Lines – Total War
The Ukrainian language law, while lamentable from the Hungarian perspective, cannot compare to Russian aggression. All citizens of Ukraine are in this war together. No one can escape from the frontlines because they are everywhere. Ukrainians, no matter their ethnicity, are considered enemies by the Kremlin. Russian attacks on Ukrainian forces fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine do not discriminate between ethnic Hungarians and Ukrainians. They never will. The citizens of Berehove realize this. Anyone who doubts this should ask the friends and family of Roland Popovych, a brave soldier who died fighting for his country.
Click here for: Bordering On Absurdity – Straddling the Divide In Veľké Slemence (The Lost Lands #19)
Europe Between East And West 