The Fall of Orban: How Hungarians Really Feel About Ukraine and Russia

The views of Hungarian citizens differ significantly from the official position of the country’s political elite regarding the Russian Federation. At the same time, Hungarians have always demonstrated a high level of affection for Ukrainians.

Thus, on the air of the “Pryamiy” TV channel, political strategist Oleksiy Holobutsky analyzed the mood in Hungarian society.

“64% of Hungarians named the Russian Federation as the main threat. Hungarians are among those who treat Ukrainians with greater sympathy than even Czechs or Poles. We should not confuse state interests, the interests of a specific political elite with the people,” the studio guest noted.

Golobutsky recalled that even during periods of media tension, Hungarian society demonstrated a high level of affection for Ukrainians. He emphasized that such indicators of friendliness sometimes surpass even neighboring countries.

The expert explained that historical memory, in particular the tragic events of 1956, still has a powerful influence on the consciousness of the country’s residents, shaping their attitude towards external challenges and security. Therefore, there is a significant gap between the preferences of ordinary voters and the actions of government structures, the political strategist adds.

At the same time, he revealed the reasons for the Hungarian leader’s loyalty to Moscow and rejected the ideological basis of such cooperation, emphasizing the pragmatic financial benefits. “It was not ideological love. It was only business. For that kind of money, you can love not only Putin, but anyone, even an ayatollah,” Golobutsky ironically says.

He also recalled that Orban’s career began with anti-Soviet slogans, but later the desire to maintain power forced him to look for large resources. According to researchers, we can talk about annual income of half a billion dollars. These funds allowed to maintain the system and enrich the environment, which the expert called a mafia group.

It was financial gain, not a change in worldview, that caused the once progressive leader to turn his policy towards Russia, – summed up Oleksiy Golobutsky.

As a reminder, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban commented on the defeat of his Fidesz party in the parliamentary elections held on April 12. He acknowledged the massive failure and said that he takes full responsibility for the result. Viktor Orban said in an interview that the election result came as a surprise to him , as he was confident of victory before the vote.

Meanwhile, the winner of Hungary’s parliamentary elections, Peter Magyar, has announced the date of his inauguration as prime minister. He said the official swearing-in ceremony will take place on May 9. On the same day, Magyar’s team will hold a public event in central Budapest.

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