Latest news with #Transcarpathia
Russia Today
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Hungarian church torched in Ukraine
An arsonist has set fire to a church in Ukraine's western Transcarpathia Region, while scrawling anti-Hungarian graffiti across its facade, according to police. The incident has drawn fierce criticism from Budapest, further damaging the already fragile relationship between the two countries. Law enforcement said that the arson and vandalism attack took place in the village of Palad Komarivtsi on Wednesday evening, when an unknown individual broke into a Hungarian Greek Catholic church, set the entrance door ablaze, and wrote 'Knife to the Hungarians' on the building's facade in black paint. Two days later, local police detained a 28-year-old local resident suspected of perpetrating the attack, adding that the graffiti had been aimed at 'destabilizing the situation in the region and inciting national and religious hatred.' The incident has prompted a harsh reaction from Hungarian officials. Prime Minister Viktor Orban decried the attack as part of a broader campaign to crack down on the Hungarian minority in the region. 'Forced conscription, murder, church arson, incitement, intimidation. This is all happening to our people, the Hungarians, in Transcarpathia. We will not let it slide, you can count on this!' Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto echoed the condemnation, saying that 'the Hungarian community in Ukraine has faced systematic attacks' for years. 'Although the Ukrainian state is clearly responsible, Brussels remains silent while fast-tracking Ukraine's EU membership,' he lamented on X, adding that his ministry had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in Budapest. Budapest has long accused Kiev of infringing the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine, and sounded the alarm over what it has decried as the suppression of their language and educational rights. The spat has been one of the major factors behind Hungary's opposition to its neighbor's membership in the EU. Meanwhile, Kiev has also been cracking down on Russian culture while waging a relentless campaign against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which it accuses of retaining ties to the country's eastern neighbor despite the UOC breaking away from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022. The crackdown has included raids on church premises and arrests of clergy.
Russia Today
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU country moves to sanction Ukrainian military officials
Hungary has filed a motion with the EU to sanction three Ukrainian officials Budapest deems responsible for forced mobilization, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has announced. Budapest took the step following an incident in which Ukrainian draft officers are alleged to have fatally beaten a Hungarian citizen. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Budapest has consistently criticized EU efforts to arm Kiev. Relations between Hungary and Ukraine have been further strained in recent weeks amid mutual espionage recriminations. Moreover, Budapest has repeatedly accused Kiev of trampling on the rights of the Hungarian ethnic minority in the country's Western Transcarpathia region. In a post on X on Wednesday, Szijjarto wrote that 'today we initiated that the EU place on its sanctions list those responsible for the death of a Hungarian man during forced conscription.' In a separate post, the minister stated that a 'brutal manhunt is unfolding on Ukraine's streets, with systemic beatings and torture targeting those unwilling to join the military.' The following day, Szijjarto claimed that 'for 10 years, the Hungarian community in Ukraine has faced systematic attacks' by the government in Kiev, and accused the EU of turning a blind eye to alleged cases of discrimination. Last Thursday, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador over the incident. According to Hungarian media, 45-year-old Jozsef Sebestyen died on July 6 as a result of injuries sustained when he was beaten with iron bars by draft officers. The Ukrainian Ground Forces claimed Sebestyen had been 'legally mobilized,' but deserted and admitted himself to a hospital, where he died from a 'pulmonary embolism' with no signs of violence. Ukraine's mobilization drive has increasingly been marred by widespread violence and abuse at the hands of recruitment officials, as attested by multiple social media videos. Earlier this month, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Michael O'Flaherty, expressed concern over 'allegations of torture and death during military recruitment' in Ukraine. Russian officials have claimed that Kiev is dead set on waging war against Moscow 'until the last Ukrainian,' using its own citizens as cannon fodder.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
McDonald's to open 10 new restaurants in Ukraine in 2025
US fast-food giant McDonald's is set to expand its presence in Ukraine by opening ten new restaurants in 2025, as reported by the New York Times. The move will bring the total number of operational outlets in Ukraine to 120 - higher than before Russia's invasion in February 2022. McDonald's recently launched a new outlet in the remote, alpine region of Transcarpathia, a mountainous province in western Ukraine. The expansion signifies a positive economic trajectory for Ukraine, according to Viktor Mykyta, a top economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Overall, this indicates that despite the military actions, Ukraine's economy is showing positive dynamics," Mykyta told the New York Times. "If a business like McDonald's can operate here, it shows any investors that they, too, can confidently work here." McDonald's entered the Ukrainian market in 1997 with a restaurant in Kyiv. The company's continued expansion offers job opportunities and contributes significantly to the country's tax revenues. In 2024, McDonald's paid more than $60m in taxes, making it the largest taxpayer in Ukraine's foodservice industry. According to the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction (EBRD), Ukraine's economy is projected to grow by 3.3% in 2025. The Kyiv Independent had reported earlier projections above 4%, but factors such as rising inflation and economic challenges due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have moderated the forecast. McDonald's operations in Ukraine have faced challenges due to the ongoing conflict. In January 2025, a Russian missile strike in Kyiv damaged the country's oldest McDonald's. Frequent air raids have also affected operations, leading to the temporary suspension of breakfast services in many locations. However, in March 2025, the breakfast menu was relaunched at six outlets. McDonald's exited the Russian market in 2022, closing its restaurants in the country. Meanwhile, Ukraine has seen the return of Western businesses such as Ikea, H&M and Zara, which had suspended operations at the onset of the war. "McDonald's to open 10 new restaurants in Ukraine in 2025" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
New York Times
28-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Golden Arches in a War Zone: McDonald's Thrives in Ukraine
For decades, the onion-shaped golden domes of an Orthodox Christian monastery kept watch over this lush valley in Ukraine's westernmost corner. But last month, a new, unmistakable symbol appeared: M-shaped golden arches, perched atop a pole at the foot of a mountain. McDonald's had finally reached Ukraine's remote, alpine region of Transcarpathia, and the locals could not be happier. 'We come here every day,' said Anna Bilenets, 22, as she polished off a McChicken during a recent lunch break at a bustling McDonald's in Mukachevo, one of two cities in Transcarpathia where the chain opened this spring. Around her, children tore into Happy Meals with giddy delight and couples reached into boxes of French fries. Sitting next to a friend, Ms. Bilenets explained how their McDonald's visits had become 'a routine.' First, they go to a gym nearby. Then, they reward themselves with a cheat meal. 'Every time we try something different,' she said with a smile. The much-acclaimed arrival of McDonald's in Transcarpathia signals an unexpected trend for the iconic American fast-food chain: In wartime Ukraine, business is booming. 20 mileS Kyiv POLAND UKRAINE Detail area CRIMEA SLOVAKIA UKRAINE Uzhhorod Mukachevo TRANSCARPATHIA HUNGARY ROMANIA By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
13-06-2025
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: ‘Oasis' in the Mountains Beckons the War-Weary
'It was not a shock, but a relief. That somewhere, people live calmly. Somewhere, people live normally.' Tetiana Bezsonova, who fled Pokrovsk, Ukraine, a year ago, on her arrival in Mukachevo, the region of Transcarpathia that has seen few attacks in the three years since Russia's full-scale invasion.
