Central Europe is
more vulnerable
than it appears
PÉTER KREKÓ, EDIT ZGUT AND LÓRÁNT GYŐRI
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, far-
right and extremist organisations in Central Europe
have redirected their attention to geopolitical
issues. They not only agitate against N ATO and
the European Union, but also share a particular
sympathy towards Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Clear
evidence points to direct support for groups
coming from Russia or pro-Russian sources.In April 2014, just a few weeks after Russia annexed Crimean Tamás Gaudi-
Nagy, a Hungarian lawmaker from the far-right party Jobbik, gave a speech to the
Council of Europe’s General Assembly. The tone of his speech reflected his t-shirt
which read “Crimea legally belongs to Russia, Transcarpathia legally belongs to
Hungary”. After the “legitimate” annexation of Crimea by Russia, he argued, it was
time for Hungary to take back lost territories such as Transcarpathia – a part of
Ukraine that belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1920.
One year later, in autumn 2015, Gaudi-Nagy made an even stranger statement
during a TV debate: he claimed he was encouraged by his Russian counterparts
while he was delegated to the Council of Europe to revise the border with Ukraine,
hinting that Russia would back such a move. He said the time has come to change
the course of history. But these performances were not the only actions by the far-
right and extreme right to put pressure on Hungarian and Ukrainian authorities