Hungarian Greek Catholic church set on fire in Transcarpathia, anti-Hungarian graffiti found

A Greek Catholic church was set ablaze by unknown perpetrators in Palágykomoróc, a village in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region—according to reports from Mandiner and several other Hungarian news outlets.

Thanks to a rapid response from firefighters, the flames did not destroy the entire building, though the sacristy sustained significant damage. The gravity of the incident is underscored by the presence of hate-filled, anti-Hungarian graffiti on the church walls, including phrases such as “Hungarians to the knife” and “Hungarians, get out!”

The attack sparked immediate outrage in Hungary, particularly among government officials. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shared an image on social media published by Mandiner showing the hate slogans. In his post, he wrote:

Forced conscription, murder, arson, incitement, intimidation. All this is happening to our people—Hungarians in Transcarpathia. We will not stand by. You can count on us!

Government spokesperson Alexandra Szentkirályi also weighed in on the situation. Reacting to the arson, she wrote: “It breaks your heart. Haven’t the peoples of the Carpathian Basin suffered enough? In 2025, just because we are Hungarian and speak Hungarian, they want to kill us and exile us from the place we’ve lived for 1,100 years?” She added that, in her view, Ukraine has no place in the European Union as long as it fails to eliminate all ethnic, linguistic, and religious discrimination.

Multiple outlets, including Telex, reached out to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment, but no official response had been issued at the time of publication.

Rising tensions

This church arson is not an isolated case; in recent weeks, increasingly disturbing reports have emerged from the Transcarpathia region. The most widely publicised was the tragic death of József Sebestyén, a Hungarian man from Transcarpathia whose exact cause of death remains unknown.

Two videos have surfaced featuring Sebestyén: in one, he is seen crawling on all fours; in the other, he is in visible agony as he pleads for help from paramedics, who reportedly failed to take meaningful action. According to Mandiner, Sebestyén was allegedly abused during a forced conscription effort, and it was the injuries he sustained that ultimately led to his death.

The series of incidents has cast a shadow over Hungary-Ukraine relations, particularly as the Ukrainian government continues to hope for European Union membership. The Hungarian government, however, is increasingly vocal in demanding that the safety and rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia be guaranteed before any progress can be made on Ukraine’s EU ambitions.

A local investigation into the church attack may be launched, but the perpetrators and their exact motives remain unknown at this time.

Read more Transcarpathia-related news on Daily News Hungary

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