At a small town in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains in western Ukraine, nearly everyone speaks Hungarian. Over the past few months the area has been at the heart of tensions following the adoption by Kiev of a controversial law that seeks to oblige schools to teach in the Ukrainian language
Speaking Hungarian in Ukraine
Beregove—or Beregszasz, as it is also known by its Hungarian name—has a population of 24,000 and is located in Transcarpathia, within walking distance to the Hungarian border. This quaint town, famous for its scenic vistas, hot springs and vineyards, is the centre of Ukraine’s Hungarian culture
Numbering around 100,000, ethnic Hungarians constitute the largest minority group in Transcarpathia, a western Ukrainian region behind the Carpathian Mountains that was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Being a minority in an ex-Soviet nation
The language law states that starting from September 2020, pupils will be taught exclusively in Ukrainian from the fifth grade, when children are aged 10 to 11, although they can still learn their native languages as a separate subject. Kiev says the move will help minorities better integrate into society
The adoption of the law in September rattled nearly all of Kiev’s neighbours to the west that see the legislation as a threat to their national minorities in the ex-Soviet country, according to AFP. Hungary went as far as threatening to block Kiev’s rapprochement with the EU
After Russia annexed Crimea
For Ukrainians, the need to promote their language has become particularly acute after Russia annexed Crimea and a separatist insurgency erupted in the Russian-speaking east; 10,000 died since 2014. Many Ukrainians view Transcarpathia as another potential hotspot