Church arson in Zakarpattia: Kremlin attempts to stir hostility between Hungarians and Ukrainians
The Kremlin is attempting to exploit the arson of a church in Zakarpattia and a xenophobic inscription.
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Rescuers / © State Emergency Service Department in Ivano-Frankivsk region
Russian propagandists are trying to use the incident in the village of Palad-Komarivtsi in Zakarpattia to incite interethnic hostility and promote the narrative of «oppression of Hungarians» in Ukraine.
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.
According to the Zakarpattia police, the incident occurred on July 16. Law enforcement has opened a criminal case under Articles 161 (violation of citizens’ equality) and 194 (intentional destruction or damage to property) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. A pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The Center for Countering Disinformation emphasizes that Russian propaganda outlets immediately seized on the incident to promote the narrative of «oppression of Hungarians» in Ukraine. The goal of such information attacks is to escalate interethnic tensions, discredit the Ukrainian government, and create pretexts for external interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs.
«Earlier, Russian propaganda spread disinformation about the situation on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border, pushing fake claims about „downed Ukrainian drones“ and the „deployment of Hungarian equipment and aircraft“ to the border, ” the Center added.