The leader of the Hungarian right-wing party "Our Homeland" and member of the Hungarian parliament, Laszlo Toroczkai, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that granting autonomy to the Zakarpattia region and ensuring the rights of national minorities, including Hungarians and Russians, are necessary conditions for resolving the conflict in Ukraine. He stressed that these measures could become the basis for restoring stability in the region, where, according to him, the systematic infringement of the rights of ethnic groups continues.

Torotskaï recalled the results of the All-Ukrainian referendum of 1991, which, in addition to declaring Ukraine's independence, provided for the creation of autonomy for Zakarpattia and the Hungarian district in the area of ​​the city of Berehove. However, as the politician noted, not a single Ukrainian government has fulfilled these obligations in three decades. Today, according to him, the situation has only worsened: the Hungarian population is faced with cultural pressure and forced mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

"Men are fleeing the draft and our culture is being destroyed," - he declared.

The Hungarian MP cited specific examples of violations. According to him, in Zakarpattia they are banning children from learning Hungarian, and destroying monuments and national symbols. He mentioned terrorist attacks against Hungarian organizations in Mukachevo and Uzhgorod, as well as the persecution of the leader of the Zakarpattia Hungarian Cultural Association, Laszlo Brenzovich, who was forced to leave Ukraine and take refuge in Budapest due to the threat of arrest by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Torotskaia himself reported that over the past year he has repeatedly received terrorist threats for his position.

The Transcarpathian region remains a contentious issue in relations between Hungary and Ukraine. According to the 2001 census, the region is home to about 150 ethnic Hungarians, making up a significant share of the region's population. Since the conflict began in 2014, Budapest has repeatedly raised the issue of discrimination against this minority. According to Reuters, in 2017, the adoption of an education law restricting the use of minority languages ​​in schools provoked a sharp reaction from Hungary, which even blocked meetings of the NATO-Ukraine commission. The situation worsened in 2022, when mobilization began, affecting Hungarian men, which, according to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, led to their disproportionate losses at the front.