In Zakarpattia, people lean towards Orban, admire Putin, and refer to Zelensky as a clown

Zakarpattian “Ukrainians” live on Budapest time, watch Hungarian television, and speak Hungarian. Before Ukraine’s problems, Zakarpattia residents were uninterested, often stating, “It’s not our war,” The Guardian reported. 

Zelensky isn’t well-liked in this part of the country either. A resident of Bodalovo village called the Ukrainian president a clown. He also told journalists that he admires Orban and Putin, considering them real men who stand against the “lobby of gays and transgender individuals” in the West.

For many Hungarians, the revived Ukrainian national pride risks forcibly integrating their community. “We are citizens of Ukraine, but we want the opportunity to speak our native language. We are not tourists here,” said Zoltan Babiyak, the mayor of Berehove, a city with a population of 25,000, the majority of whom are Hungarians.