Ukraine removes Hungarian monument, Budapest protests
The demolition of the Hungarian monument in Ukraine’s Mukachevo has raised shock among Hungarian authorities. The monument of the Turul (the eagle) commemorated 1,000 years of Hungarian presence in the Carpathian Basin .
“Today’s decision of the Executive Committee of the Munkács City Council to remove the millennium Turul statue, the symbol of the city restored to its original form in 2008, from Munkács Castle, is deeply shocking and outrageous,” said János Árpád Potápi, minister of state for national policy of the Prime Minister’s Office .
He also added the move has raised bewilderment among Hungary’s officials as Budapest continues support of Ukraine providing humanitarian help and shelter to Ukrainian immigrants.
“It is regrettable that in the middle of a war, the leadership of the city of Mukachevo is prioritizing the demolition of a monument that is a prominent symbol of local and Transcarpathian Hungarian identity, while Hungary is carrying out the largest humanitarian aid operation in its history to help war refugees in Ukraine “, — added János Árpád Potápi.
One of the reasons of such a move might be tight relations between Hungarian’s President Victor Orban and Vladimir Putin.
Yet, the outrageous gesture of Ukraine amidst tough political and diplomatic situation could start the nationalist moods among Hungarians residing on that territory. The next possible step may be the demolition of the monument to Shandor Petofi in Uzhgorod, followed by the actions of the authorities to rename the streets to Ukrainian ones. Should this occur, the he population of the region, which consists of Russians, Slovaks and other minorities might demand a referendum.
The Turul statue of the Munkács Castle was erected in 1896 as one of the seven millennium monuments, celebrating 1,000 years of Hungarian presence in the Carpathian Basin. The Czechoslovakian authorities dismantled it in 1924, and the Red Army, which occupied the region in 1945, melted down the bronze statue.