Hungary's political shakeup brings Russian strikes to Zakarpattya — The Sunday Times
The aftermath of Russian UAVs attack on Zakarpattya, May 13, 2026 (Photo: Myroslav Biletskyi / Telegram)
Russian strikes shattered western Ukraine’s Zakarpattya Oblast immediately after Viktor Orban lost Hungary's election, erasing an unspoken safety net built on his ties to Vladimir Putin, The Sunday Times wrote on May 17.
In the lead-up to the parliamentary elections [in Hungary - ed.], Zakarpattya found itself involved in a fierce political campaign. In an attempt to hold onto power, Orban weaponized the region's ethnic Hungarian minority, framing the election as a choice between peace under his administration or an extension of the war if voters backed his opponent, Peter Magyar.
Hungary held its parliamentary elections on April 12, resulting in a victory for Magyar's Tisza party. On May 9, during a fragile three-day truce brokered between Russia and Ukraine, Magyar was officially sworn in as Hungary's new prime minister. Shortly after the truce expired, Russia launched a massive combined assault across Ukraine, directly targeting Zakarpattya.
"Uzhhorod was always peaceful and the calmest city in the entire country," one local resident told the British newspaper. Now, she added, "there is no place in Ukraine that is safe."
Another resident, a 14-year-old girl from the heavily ethnic Hungarian town of Berehove, expressed certainty that the Russian bombardment was linked to Orban’s political demise.
"Of course, this happened because of the change of government in Hungary," she said, adding that she "no longer feels safe here."
While Zakarpattya’s geographical position made it an unlikely target for Russian airstrikes, many local ethnic Hungarians believed they were shielded by Orban's relationship with Moscow.
That illusion vanished on May 13 when Russian forces launched a massive wave of 753 drones targeting western Ukraine, including Zakarpattya.
Zakarpattya Oblast governor Myroslav Biletskyi confirmed that it was the most massive Russian assault on the oblast since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
"There were hits on critical infrastructure facilities across several districts," Biletskyi stated.
"According to military data, 11 aerial targets — Shahed and Geran-type UAVs — entered the oblast's airspace. Most were successfully shot down or neutralized by electronic warfare systems, but unfortunately, several drones reached their targets."
The newly elected Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, stated that his government strongly condemns the Russian drone strikes on Zakarpattya. In response to the bombardment, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry took the rare step of summoning the Russian ambassador in Budapest.
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