military

Hungarian Gripens scrambled because of bomb threat on Serbian aircraft!

gripen hungary

Hungarian Gripen fighter jets were scrambled by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre on Friday afternoon because of a bomb threat on a Serbian-registered passenger aircraft flying from Saint Petersburg to Belgrade, the defence ministry told MTI.

The Gripens escorted the A319 aircraft out of Hungarian airspace, the ministry said.

The jets were alerted for a second time on Friday afternoon for a similar reason, when a Moscow-Belgrade flight reported a bomb threat. The aircraft, also an A319, registered in Serbia, was escorted out of Hungarian airspace, the ministry said in a statement.

Russian plane Hungary nuclear fuel
Read alsoRussian plane that landed in Hungary despite EU ban delivered nuclear fuel!

Government: NATO, Hungary in full agreement

Hungarian Defence Forces Military Army NATO

As regards the war in Ukraine, NATO and Hungary are in full agreement, Tamás Menczer, the foreign ministry state secretary for communications, told public current affairs channel M1 on Friday.

Menczer noted that NATO has underlined that it is not a participant in the conflict, and it wants to ensure that the war does not spill over Ukraine’s borders. Moreover, NATO, as an organisation, is not supplying arms. Hungary, he said, fully supports this position. Armed conflict must not be allowed to break out between NATO and Russia, he added.

He noted that the biggest humanitarian mobilisation in Hungary’s history, the Bridge to Transcarpathia programme, was under way, with the government cooperating with the six big charities which have received a total of 3 billion forints (EUR 7.9m) to carry out their work.

Speaking later to public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió, Menczer said that despite Hungary’s humanitarian efforts, the Ukrainian president and his government were criticising the Hungarian election results and “the decision of the people”, and referring to totalitarian regimes in terms of Hungary acting as their accomplice. This, he added, was “unacceptable”. For this reason, the Ukrainian ambassador was summoned, and this was made clear to the ambassador, the state secretary said.

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Read alsoNon-Hungarian NATO troops not to go to the country’s Ukrainian border yet

The Hungarian Bucsa village mourns their massacred brothers of Ukrainian Bucha! – PHOTOS

Murders in Ukrainian Bucha

The Ukrainian Bucha and the Hungarian Bucsa were twin cities before the war. Now, the residents of the Hungarian village, with more than 2,000 residents, mourn those massacred in Bucha. Some of them even became frantic with fear when they heard about the mass executions in Bucha. They thought something terrible had taken place in their village. Only later did they realise that the horrors the radio talked about had happened thousands of kilometres away. Now, they would like to show their support for the victims somehow.

Many were in panic in Bucsa

According to Blikk, the Hungarian village of Bucsa in Békés County, southeast Hungary, is an island of peace. Meanwhile, their Ukrainian twin city, Bucha, became a symbol of brutality and war crime in the last few days. Though the Russians do not admit it, evidence supports the claim that withdrawing Russian troops committed mass executions in the Ukrainian city, which had 28,000 residents before the war. Shocking images showed bodies left on the streets, and these photos reached almost every part of the world.

News outlets say the victims were civilians who left their houses and flats to find food for their families. Most of them were executed, shot in the head. Ukrainian authorities found more bodies in the cellars and discovered mass graves close to the city. The Ukrainian town became a symbol of war crimes, and several bodies are working tirelessly to find out the perpetrators’ identities.

When they heard on the radio, residents of the Hungarian Bucsa village thought something terrible had happened in their village.

Some even called the mayor’s office where they learned the horrors took place thousands of kilometres away, in their Ukrainian twin city.

Murders in Ukrainian Bucha
Photo: FB

Locals follow the news

Károly, a local pensioner, knows everything about the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. He regularly listens to the news on the radio. He said he was in a panic when he first heard what happened, thinking the massacre took place in his village.

Nikolett, a shopkeeper in Bucsa, said she was in shock when she saw the name of their village in the headlines. “Our heart breaks for them. Let this slaughter end at once.

They are murdering our brothers,” 

she told Blikk. She added that everybody talked about the latest news concerning Bucha in the small Hungarian village of 2,100 residents.

The mayor of Bucsa said they were in contact with Bucha because they regard it as a twin community. János Kláricz added that in 2005,

residents of four settlements named Bucsa met in their village:

the Hungarian Kisbucsa, the Romanian Bucsa, and the mayor of the Ukrainian Bucha. Concerning why these settlements have the same name, Mr Kláricz talked about a shaman named Bucsa.

Murders in Ukrainian Bucha
Photo: FB

Twin cities, shaman, prayer

The mayor of the Hungarian village said they wanted to express their solidarity somehow. That is why

they reestablished contact with their Ukrainian twin city.

People working in the mayor’s office are also sad. They told Blikk that their village was a peaceful island. No crimes happen, sometimes a bike is stolen, or dogs take chickens, but nothing serious. Cars can even park there with the doors open.

Endre Bíró, a local historian, is writing his fourth book about Bucsa. “The last one was published last year. It includes other settlements named Bucsa, even the Ukrainian city. We can read about their history for pages,” he said. Mr Bíró called it tragic that the buildings in the photos in the book are mostly destroyed now, and Russians murdered their residents.

He would like to organise prayer for the victims of the massacre in Bucsa.

“We are not a rich village, but we will try to provide some help. We would like to organise a shared mourning mass in our two churches,” he added.

Viktor Orbán phone call
Read alsoOrbán talked with Putin on phone and proposed immediate ceasefire!

Hungary to maintain ban on weapon transports to Ukraine

Transport military tank Ukraine

Hungary is maintaining its Ukraine arms delivery ban, the foreign minister said in Brussels on Thursday, the second day of a NATO meeting of foreign ministers.

Ukraine’s foreign minister has asked the alliance intensify its arms deliveries, Péter Szijjártó told journalists. However, NATO, as an organisation, has repeatedly declared that it is not a participant in the conflict and will not supply weapons to Ukraine, the minister said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the war had entered a new phase and

preparations must be made for a war that could last for several years.

NATO members agreed that everything should be done to prevent the war from spilling beyond Ukraine’s borders, he said, adding NATO’s current strategy may have to change accordingly.

“This is not our war,” Szijjártó said, adding that the most important aim was to stay out of the conflict and to advance the swiftest possible restoration of peace.

In Hungary’s general election at the weekend, Hungarians expressed more clearly than ever that they want peace and security, he said. Any transit of weapons across the territory of Hungary would result in direct security threat, and based on the “nation’s decision”, Hungary will not allow direct weapon deliveries to Ukraine, he added.

Thanks to this ban, the Red Cross can securely coordinate humanitarian tasks from Debrecen,

he said.

The NATO meeting concluded with several achievements, he said. Sanctions will not affect crude oil or natural gas supplies, or activities linked to nuclear energy production, which is important for the operation of the Paks nuclear power station, he added. Szijjártó noted that the NATO meeting of foreign ministers was the first attended by the alliance’s Asia-Pacific partners.

Volga-Dneper Russian Aircraft
Read alsoRussian aircraft landed at Hungarian military airport despite closed airspace!

Russian aircraft landed at Hungarian military airport despite closed airspace!

Volga-Dneper Russian Aircraft

An aircraft with Russian insignia that previously transported radioactive cargo landed at the Pápa Military Air Base despite early sanctions against Russia, including the closing of the European Union’s airspace.

Shortly after Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine, the European Union started to try and deter Russia from the attack by passing some sanctions against Putin.

Back on February 27, the EU with Ursula von der Leyen at the forefront accepted the first package of sanctions against Russia; in addition to purchasing weapons and medical equipment for 500 million euros to donate to Ukraine, the countries accepted her proposal, writes Telex.

“We are closing the EU’s airspace before the Russians. We propose that all Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft be banned. These aircraft will no longer be allowed to land, take off or fly over the territory of the EU.”

Telex reports that despite this ban, an aircraft belonging to the Russian Airline Volga-Dneper took off in Moscow, then flew over Belarus, Poland, and Slovakia, and then proceeded to land early Wednesday at the Pápa Military Air Base in Hungary, as per the information found on flight radar.

rsz_volga-dneper_russian_aircraft_flightradar
Source: Telex.hu / flightradar

The Hungarian news portal sent an inquiring letter addressed to the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Hungary; however, the ministry did not answer before publishing their material on the aircraft, although some form of an answer came from another, supposedly less related source.

The Ministry of Innovation and Technology shortly answered Telex and told them that “a few minor exemptions can be granted from the general ban of Russian aircraft from the EU airspace. The flight in question was carried out with the knowledge of the European Commission and with the permission and agreement of the EU Member States involved in the route”.

With the few exemptions, the ministry might have possibly referred to humanitarian, repatriation, or single, approved flights, which can enter despite the ban.

24.hu reported some further information about the aircraft, and they wrote that the Volga-Dnepr Airlines IL-76 aircraft with registration number RA-76952

transported nuclear fuel to Pozsony (Bratislava) mid-March, which the Slovakian government had ordered to be able to safely guarantee the operation of the country’s two nuclear powerplants.

Putin Orbán Russian gas disgraceful role
Read alsoRussian ambassador: Putin should continue to trust Orbán

Radical Mi Hazánk to speak out against the stationing of NATO troops in Hungary

NATO troops in Hungary századvég

The radical Mi Hazánk party will support proposals in parliament that serve the interests of the Hungarian people, and does not want to be a “visceral opposition”, Dóra Dúró, the party’s deputy leader, said on Wednesday.

Speaking to public news channel M1, Dúró said Mi Hazánk saw its crossing of the 5 percent threshold for seats in parliament in the election as “a triumph of the heart, faith, work and being principled”.

Dúró said

Mi Hazánk’s campaign had been at a disadvantage and the party had been hindered in getting its message out.

She said the party’s base was partly made up of former Jobbik voters, adding, at the same time, that the party had provided “new answers to a number of 21st-century issues”.

She said that when it came to the pandemic, ruling Fidesz and the opposition left-liberal parties “pursued the same policy of lockdowns and forcing vaccines onto people”. She said Mi Hazánk had been the only party

to speak out against the stationing of NATO troops in Hungary and was the only one to oppose granting European Union membership to Ukraine unconditionally.

Asked about Mi Hazank’s role as an opposition party, Dúró said they would only consider the interests of the country.

“We don’t want to be a hysterical and visceral opposition,”

she said. Mi Hazánk will examine every proposal based on its contents and will support them if they benefit the Hungarian people, she added.

Radical-party-Mi-Hazank-Budapest
Read also Radical Mi Hazánk party protested against NATO, ‘Covid dictatorship’

Hungarian expert predicts the possible end date of Russia-Ukraine war

War in Ukraine

Botond Feledy, a Hungarian foreign policy expert, said that ending military operation by the beginning of summer would serve the Russians’ interest too. However, atrocities against civilians do not seem to cease.

Russia – Ukraine war to end by summer

Mr Feledy talked about the Russia-Ukraine war on RTL Klub, the most-viewed commercial TV channel in Hungary. He said that until the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia do not end with success, no one should hope that atrocities against civilians in Ukraine will stop.

The Hungarian foreign policy expert added that he expects the war to end by the beginning of summer as it would serve Russia’s interest as well.

He highlighted that a Russian attack against Hungary or other NATO members was inconceivable. However, the negative, for instance, economic consequences of the war will take a serious toll on Hungary. 

Is there hope for peace?

András Rácz, a senior associate fellow of the National University of Public Service, confirmed Mr Feledy’s claims in an interview he gave to portfolio.hu. He said that a non-nuclear war between Russia and NATO would have a catastrophic outcome for Moscow. The Ukrainian conflict shows

the Russian army is not as powerful as Putin made the world believe.

Regarding the end of the conflict, he said that Ukraine accepted to become a neutral power, meaning Kyiv does not consider joining NATO anymore. On the other hand, the war-stricken country would never give up parts of its territory. Ukraine will not accept the secession of Crimea, the Donbas region or Herson. The pressing question though is how the neutrality of Ukraine can be guaranteed. The 1994 Budapest Memorandum, an international security treaty warranting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, was breached by Russia which was one of the signatories.

Ukraine now needs safety guarantees meaning that in case of an attack, the signatories of the new treaty would defend the country –

Mr Rácz added. 

Regarding the possibility of a ceasefire, Rácz said that Russians first needed a victory, like the occupation of Kharkiv. He highlighted that battlefield reality will determine when a ceasefire will take place as happened in 2014 and 2015 when ceasefires were signed by Kyiv after multiple defeats on the front.

There will be no confrontation with NATO

He said that in a war against NATO, Russia would perish, while NATO would have a chance to survive. Therefore, Russia will cease its military operations at the NATO borders. Of course, unexpected scenarios can always occur. A couple of days ago, a Russian military drone crashed in Romania. Rácz said that it happened due to human error. Russian forces might have lost control over it, and the drone kept operating until it ran out of fuel. Thankfully, there are emergency “de-escalation channels” to ensure that such errors will not cause a nuclear conflict.

He said that the Russian invasion was a wake-up call for many European countries to strengthen their militaries.

Germany, for instance, plans to spend 100 billion EUR on security developments while Poland raises military expenditures from 2 pc to 3 pc of its GDP. However, it is hard to tell whether this will be a trend in Europe or not – he added.

He cleared that NATO would not establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine because that would potentially mean the outbreak of WWIII.

However, they will send anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons to Ukraine. Based on reports, the Ukrainian air defence proves to be rather successful. They shot 17 Russian warplanes, 18 drones and 35 choppers. Rácz said that while these figures look promising they are based on Russian data. In reality, losses are probably much higher.

Read alsoPaper distributed in the Bucharest National Theatre: East Hungary belongs to Romania!

Is Orbán really Putin’s lapdog? Here is what Hungary does and does not do for Ukraine

Putin Orbán Russian gas disgraceful role

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has regularly slammed those European and NATO leaders who refuse to accept all his demands since the Russian invasion against Ukraine began. However, Zelenskiy’s attack on Orbán during his address to the European Council members last Friday was exceptional. Was the Ukrainian president right? Is PM Orbán a close ally of President Putin who should decide whether or not he supports Ukraine in the war?

Zelenskiy wants to see everybody on the front

Ukraine is at war. Hundreds of thousands of their citizens are fighting against the Russian invaders. Russians are destroying their cities, killing their families, and threatening the state’s sovereignty. For this reason, one can understand why President Zelenskiy wants to collect all the help he can get. That means weapons, rockets, drones, military equipment in the first place.

It is not only the Americans who receive a lot of criticism from Zelenskiy. The Ukrainian president also slams Germany quite frequently. The former disagrees with establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine because Washington argues it would lead to WWIII. The latter made it clear that Berlin does not support Russian energy import bans because that would mean skyrocketing heating prices and an economic breakdown.

Mass killings

Hungary’s Orbán cleared almost at the beginning of the war that Hungary would help with everything but would not allow military equipment to cross its territory towards Ukraine. Furthermore, the current Hungarian government would not send soldiers to Ukraine either. Joint opposition’s Márki-Zay said he would do that provided NATO decided so.

Zelenskiy spoke directly to PM Orbán in his speech last Friday for minutes. He told him that he had been to Budapest many times and adored the city. He said that Russia committed mass killings in Mariupol which was similar to what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust. “And you hesitate whether to impose sanctions or not? And you hesitate whether to let weapons through or not? There is no time to hesitate,” he concluded.

Is President Zelenskiy right? Is Orbán really hesitating?

András Rácz, a research fellow at the Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies, replied to all that in a post. He said that Ukraine received hundreds of thousands of tonnes of weapons. Moreover, they got more than 20 thousand anti-tank rockets, 2,000 air defence missiles, sniper rifles, guns, ammunition, and self-protection equipment.

Hungary allowed such convoys containing lethal weapons to cross its territory. The Hungarian government only denied them crossing the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. However, if the shipment is non-lethal (e.g. personal protection equipment, fuel, etc.), they can go to Ukraine directly from Hungary.

As a result, Hungary helps Ukraine with everything except for allowing lethal weapons to cross its border with Ukraine. However, experts agree if somebody wanted to send such equipment to Ukraine, choosing the short Ukrainian-Hungarian border would be the worst decision. That is because the roads are terrible in Transcarpathia. Moreover, such equipment would have to cross the Carpathian mountains.

Regarding the question of the Russian energy import ban, the government believes that, without oil and gas, the economy would stop. That is the same as what Germany’s new leftist-green government says. Therefore, Berlin does not support such proposals either.

Humanitarian aid

Finally, President Zelenskiy forgot to mention in his speech that Hungary welcomed and provided information, help, and care for more than half a million Ukrainian refugees. Furthermore, the country’s aid organisations sent tens of tonnes of food, medicine, hygiene products, etc. for Ukraine.

As a result, one can say that Hungary does everything the country is capable of in the current situation to help Ukraine and the Ukrainian citizens.

Hungary builds army by making, exporting German world-class combat vehicles – PHOTOS

Lynx combat vehicle

Defence cooperation between Hungary and Germany is already under way, raising hopes that it will become long-term, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Saturday, at the inauguration of a factory building that will house a plant for Lynx combat vehicles.

At the event in Zalaegerszeg, in southwest Hungary, Orbán said Hungarians knew that “the best war is the one we manage to avoid.”

“The stronger we are, the smaller the chance of being dragged into war,”

he said. When building an army, “we prepare for the worst but we also open the door to a favourable future,” he said. Hungary partnered with German defence industry company Rheinmetall last year on the construction of the plant.

Orbán said he had earlier pinpointed defence as the most important industrial sector of the 2020’s. The most important task of the decade is to “create an Armed Forces that are capable of defending Hungary and enforce its interests, and which are ready to be deployed anywhere within the country or abroad if necessary,” he said.

Hungary needs the cutting-edge technology represented by the plant under construction and the nearby ZalaZone test track, he said.

Regarding Hungarian-German ties, Orbán said that while the political relations are “complicated”, economic ties are in excellent shape, and seem to garner political backing. The cooperation is in Hungary’s interest, “not only because Germany is strong but also because Hungarians are good at cooperating with Germans.” The new plant is a “new bar” for the Hungarian Armed Forces:

“We need soldiers who are as good as our equipment.”

Besides manufacturing, Hungary hopes to draw tasks such as development, testing and the training of experts to Hungary as well, “in cooperation with our German friends,” he said. He praised Germany’s decision to boost its defence capabilities in view of the war in Ukraine. Germany has made one of the most significant decisions regarding the future of Europe, he said. “European security cannot be guaranteed without Germany,” he said.

Based on the fact that Hungarian-German cooperation in the field had already begun earlier, it has good chances to become long-term, he said.

Orbán thanked all those who helped set up the plant.

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said the plant was the result of talks over three years, where Rheinmetall leadership and Orban agreed that

“our peoples need protection and we need defence capabilities and national sovereignty to do so.”

The company plans to “open the production line for the most cutting-edge armed vehicle within three months”, he said. Rheinmetall plans to add an ammunition factory to the plant in coming years, he said. Innovation and technology minister László Palkovics, Defence Minister Tibor Benkő and army chief Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi also attended the event.

Hungarian army military
Read alsoCould the Hungarian Army defend the country if the Russians invaded?

Non-Hungarian NATO troops not to go to the country’s Ukrainian border yet

Hungarian army military

NATO is raising its defence posture to the next level as part of a multi-stage response plan, Tibor Benkő, the defence minister, said on Thursday.

At a background briefing on the NATO summit in Brussels, Benkő noted Hungary set up a battalion battle group on Jan. 17, and now NATO is raising its defence readiness in central European countries abutting Ukraine. The Hungarian battle group reached NATO combat readiness by the end of February and Hungarian troops have reinforced their presence in the eastern part of the country, he said.

The minister noted that at the latest NATO summit five NATO countries — the United States, Italy, Turkey, Croatia and Montenegro — had decided to join the Hungarian-led battle group.

Asked when the additional troops would arrive in Hungary, he said it was up to each nation to decide on the timetable. Joint training and preparations with Hungarian soldiers with their own equipment will take place at the Bakony training ground in western Hungary, he added.

Circumstances do not warrant non-Hungarian troops being present in eastern Hungary for the time being, Benkő said.

Ukraine and Hungary Cooperation
Read alsoUkrainians think Hungary is the most hostile towards them from the West

Military superpowers to send soldiers to NATO’s new Hungarian battalion

Hungarian Defence Forces Military Army Tank

Five nations to date have indicated their intention to join the Hungarian battalion battle group, Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, said after NATO’s extraordinary summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Hungary continues to give priority to “not being dragged” into the war in its neighbourhood, Szijjártó said on Facebook, adding that from this point of view the summit’s results met Hungary’s expectations and dovetailed with its national interests.

Szijjártó called it a major achievement that NATO had reinforced its position that it is not, and does not wish to become, a belligerent party in the conflict.

“Every possible effort should be made to prevent the war from escalating and spilling beyond the borders of Ukraine,”

he said.

Szijjártó said NATO had decided to set up eight battalion battel groups on its eastern-southeastern flank to beef up its military presence in the region. The Hungarian battle group already established has been operating within NATO’s framework under Hungarian command, he said.

The combat team is open to troops of other NATO member states, Szijjártó said, adding that

five countries — the United States, Turkey, Croatia, Montenegro and Italy — had indicated their intention to delegate hundreds of soldiers to the unit.

The troops concerned will be stationed west of the Danube and involved in joint training and exercises, he said.

Ukraine and Hungary Cooperation
Read alsoUkrainians think Hungary is the most hostile towards them from the West

PM Orbán: Hungary manages to assert interests at NATO summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at Brussels

Hungary’s standpoint and the national interest were successfully asserted at the NATO summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Thursday, adding that Hungary will not send soldiers or weapons to Ukraine.

In a video statement, the prime minister said: “It has been accepted that we will not send weapons; neither will weapons be allowed through Hungarian territory on the way to Ukraine.”

NATO members, he added, had established a common position that preventing the war from spilling over the borders of Ukraine was of paramount importance, and that meant a no-fly zone was off the table.

“This is good news for Hungary,” he said.

Also, NATO has decided to strengthen central European countries neighbouring Ukraine — Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, he noted.

NATO forces will be stationed in Hungary in a defensive role, Orbán said.

“We await them: Turks, Italians and Croats, as well as Americans,” he said. Together with the Hungarian army, “they will guarantee the peace and security of Hungary and the Hungarian people,” he added.

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Read alsoFM Szijjártó: “NATO not at war, and we have to do everything to keep it so”

FM Szijjártó: “NATO not at war, and we have to do everything to keep it so”

Hungarian Military Hungarian Defence Forces Army

Hungary’s government will work to protect the country and keep it out of the war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said ahead of the NATO summit starting on Thursday.

“NATO’s current official stance on the war under way in Ukraine fully coincides with Hungarian interests: NATO is not at war, and we have to do everything to keep it so.

NATO, as an alliance, does not deliver weapons and we must make sure that this war does not spill over Ukrainian borders,” Szijjártó said in a Facebook post late on Wednesday.

Szijjártó expressed hope that the official stance would remain unchanged after the summit. “Unfortunately, several dangerous proposals have surfaced recently.

We have to make clear that closing the airspace over Ukraine or sending peacekeepers into the country would mean war between Russia and NATO in the air or on the ground, respectively. The most important task is to avoid that,” he said.

Nuclear War Nuclear Outbreak Nuclear Fallout
Read alsoCould the Hungarian nuclear power plant withstand an attack?

Breaking! NATO strengthens Eastern protection: deploys battle groups in Hungary!

Hungarian Defence Forces Military Army NATO

A NATO secretary general said during the EU and NATO summit in Brussels that NATO has decided that it will deploy new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to strengthen protection in the alliance’s eastern region.

Jens Stoltenberg said in a briefing that NATO would strengthen its existing forces in Poland and the Baltic states in addition to the deployment of the four new battlegroups, bringing the number of international battlegroups to eight across the Alliance’s eastern region from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

He said strengthening the eastern part of the alliance was needed because of the changing security environment.

Hellómagyar reported that the deployment of both ground, air and naval battlegroups is an immediate response to the actions of Russia in Ukraine. This proves that NATO guarantees the protection and security of all of its member states, the secretary general highlighted.

Jens Stoltenberg also said that NATO leaders who take part in the summit would reaffirmed the support of the alliance towards Kyiv and emphasized Ukraine’s right for defending itself under the Charter of the United Nations.

“We are determined to do everything we can to support Ukraine, but it is also our responsibility to ensure that the war does not spread beyond the Ukrainian border and does not become a conflict between NATO and Russia. This would cause more deaths and more devastation,”

the secretary general said, adding that NATO is providing support to Ukraine but is not part of the conflict.

The secretary general also mentioned that there will be talks of China’s recent stance supporting Russia at the summit. There are also concerns that China may provide financial aid for the invasion.

“I expect leaders to call on China to honor its commitments as a member of the UN Security Council and to refrain from supporting Russian war efforts,” Jens Stoltenberg said. Responding to a question, the Secretary-General stated that Russia’s war in Ukraine should not escalate into a nuclear conflict between Moscow and the West.

He also highlighted that Russia must understand that there are no victors in a nuclear war.

Finally, the Secretary-General expressed his hope that the member states would reaffirm their commitment to increasing defense spending because, as he said, “as the war in Ukraine has shown,” we cannot take peace for granted “.

Hungarian Defence Forces Military Army Tank
Read alsoEverybody has to defend Hungary in case of an attack – here are the rules

Could the Hungarian nuclear power plant withstand an attack?

Nuclear War Nuclear Outbreak Nuclear Fallout

The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for three and a half weeks and the number of refugees trying to flee the conflicts is unwavering. According to recent sources, the Russian army is said to be using a special rocket and is projected to take over strategic locations such as nuclear plants. So the question arises: could the Hungarian nuclear power plant withstand a Russian attack? 

Many people are worried that the conflict could escalate even further and affect countries neighbouring Ukraine. Some people are even afraid of what might happen if the Hungarian nuclear power plant in Paks suffers a hit.

While this question is somewhat far-fetched, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority has said that they are ready to order an “enhanced physical protection”. Index asked an expert to explain this term in further detail and shed some light on the dangers a potential direct hit would pose.

Since the Russian forces took over Chernobyl and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency called on ending the hostilities. In addition, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority has put forth the potential need for an “enhanced physical protection” at the Paks nuclear power plant.

What does enhanced physical protection mean?

Máté Szieberth, Associate Professor and Head of Department at the Institute of Nuclear Techniques of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, said that “the Paks nuclear power plant is an important strategic location and is under constant protection by a team of armed security personnel, but in case of heightened danger, such as a war, terrorist or other threat, they can order an ‘enhanced physical protection’ which would involve the Hungarian law enforcement authorities’ help (military, police, air- and cyber defence).

If the situation requires it, they can order immediate austerity measures, however, these are confidential and will be determined by the severity of the threat.

In case of an attack, reactor units are shut down just like it was ordered at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station recently.

While the reaction can be immediately interrupted, the radioactive decay will result in emitting heat for days before it declines, but some heat will still be generated even after years, so the continuous cooling of spent fuel is important.

Nuclear power plants are not designed to withstand attacks

The expert told Index that it is hard to say what might happen during an attack.

Szieberth said that nuclear power plants are continuously updated for emergencies which can occur during peaceful times but they are not necessarily equipped to ward off military attacks.

The associate professor added that during peaceful times, even passenger airplanes are prohibited to directly fly over nuclear plants and international conventions also prohibit the attack of nuclear power plants.

Nuclear plants are heavily armoured 

While they are not designed to protect from outside forces, since safety considerations became important after the Chernobyl disaster, the reactor units have been updated with 15-centimetres-thick steel protection tanks, which can withstand pressures exceeding the atmospheric pressure by 120 times.

Additionally, these thick steel tanks are encased in solid reinforced concrete structures to provide further protection.

According to the associate professor, if an attack hit the spent fuel and radioactive waste repositories, the materials would be scattered within a range of a few hundred metres and even a large explosion could only cause local contamination.

Attacking modern reactors would not cause such large contamination as the Chernobyl disaster, which spread radioactive dust and smoke over half of Europe.

In any way, the expert said that there is no point in attacking a nuclear power plant since the radioactive contamination can reach the attackers as well.

Survey: Hungary could be the next Russian target

metro budapest m3 hungary photo kató alpár Budapest's urban legend
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Everybody has to defend Hungary in case of an attack – here are the rules

Hungarian Defence Forces Military Army Tank

How to defend Hungary in case of a foreign attack? Who can be drafted? Would all male citizens have to go to fight on the front lines? Who can remain at home or flee with their families? Here are the answers.

All Hungarians must defend Hungary

Like other countries, Hungary has different rules for peacetime and in an extreme situation. However, in the case of a foreign attack, all physically fit Hungarian male citizens become conscripts between the ages of 18 and 50. 

In peacetime, volunteers are the basis of the Hungarian military system, a law accepted in 2004 states. They receive payment for their service. However, in a crisis, for example, if the country was attacked, everybody would have to defend Hungary. In Ukraine, every male citizen aged 18-60 has to defend the country. The only exceptions are those who raise at least three children. If they can prove that, the Ukrainian authorities allow them to leave the country even now, and it is up to them whether they return if their families are safe. Based on reports, many do so.

Of course, there are examples of opposite attitudes. We reported HERE that

a Hungarian citizen tried to smuggle out conscripts from Ukraine for 15,000 USD.

Furthermore, even the former Ukrainian prosecutor general tried to escape saying he had three kids in France. However, despite showing a photocopied document, the border guards did not believe him, nor did they let him leave. Meanwhile, most of the Transcarpathian Hungarians do not have to serve in the Ukrainian army. That is because they have Hungarian citizenship, as well.

An army of 2 million soldiers

In Hungary, you have to join the military in case of foreign attack if you are a male citizen and provided you are between 18 and 50. Interestingly, the age limit was 40 before, but the parliament raised it to 50 in 2018, blikk.hu reported.

The same applies in the case of, for example, natural disasters when the conscripts have to carry out disaster management tasks.

The Hungarian government highlighted several times that Hungary and the people living in the country are safe because they do not support any attempts to drag Hungary into war. With such statements, the government referred to the joint opposition, which would have allowed weapons and military equipment to cross Hungary towards Ukraine. The government believes such a decision would drag Hungary into war and make Transcarpathian Hungarians a target of Russian aggression.

It might be useful to know for foreign citizens that even if you have an address card in Hungary, but you are not a Hungarian citizen, you cannot be drafted. 

The constitution clears that conscripted Hungarian citizens must defend the country with weapons in the case of a foreign attack.

Currently, Hungary could create an army of almost 2 million soldiers if all conscripts were drafted.

Featured image: illustration. A Ukrainian soldier shows Ukrainian citizens how to use different weapons.

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Kaposvár plant ready to upgrade the ATV’s of the Hungarian military

Hungarian Defence Industry Production in Kaposvár

Forty Gidrán armoured tactical vehicles produced in Turkey will be equipped with radio and electro-technical devices in Kaposvár, and parts will be manufactured for an additional hundred vehicles in future, the government commissioner in charge of defence development said on Saturday.

Gáspár Maróth told a workshop at Óbuda University’s smart innovation park in Kaposvár that Gidrán armoured tactical vehicles, of which the Hungarian army had purchased ten and plans to purchase another several hundred,

represented an “emblematic development” by the state-of- the-art Turkish defence industry.

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Hungarian Defence Industry Production in Kaposvár
Gidrán armoured tactical vehicle (ATV) Photo: MTI/Varga György

Minister of Innovation and Technology László Palkovics told the event that the smart innovation park in Kaposvár would also be involved in defence industry research and development, which has “great future potential”.

Finance Minister Mihály Varga, head of the board of Óbuda University’s Rudolf Kálmán foundation, said tha

the pandemic and the war showed that having a stable economy which is prepared to handle even the most unexpected situations and has self-sufficient defence and health industries is of “the utmost importance”.

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Russia invaded Ukraine with an army as big as the one they sent to crush the March 1848 Hungarian revolution!

The_battle_of_pered

After the Hungarian revolutionary army defeated the Habsburg Empire in their spring offensive in 1849, it seemed that everything could be achieved that the March 1848 revolution wanted; independence, constitutional order, liberal reforms in the economy, freedom of thoughts and press. However, the day the Hungarian troops recaptured Buda castle marked the Habsburg emperor, Franz Joseph’s and the Russian tsar, Nicholas I’s, agreement to crush Hungary. 

Slow reforms

Russian troops took part in the fight for Transylvania before, but Hungarians defeated them. Therefore, “the gendarme of Europe” decided to send an army big enough by itself to destroy the Hungarian army.

But why did the Habsburgs need foreign intervention? How could an undeveloped, poor and unorganised country like Hungary defeat such great power?

The first part of the 19th century in Hungary was the era of reforms. Magnates like István Széchenyi or Miklós Wesselényi realised that the country was poor and underdeveloped. They believed that Hungary must catch up with industrialised Great Britain and France. Otherwise, the country would remain a periphery, a semi-colony of the modern world. Some nobles believed that they needed the Habsburg’s support for the reforms. Others argued that reforms should be introduced even if the Habsburgs oppose them.

Read also: Creative actions in Hungary to show solidarity with Ukraine

Since the Vienna court was conservative, it was difficult to convince them about anything. Thus, the reform process was slow.

Széchenyi István

15th of March: victory for the nation

The 1848 revolutions created an opportunity to accelerate the establishment of a modern, civic Hungary. After learning about the revolution in Vienna, a revolution broke out in Pest on 15th March. People led by world-famous Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi, Mór Jókai, Pál Vasvári and others, wanted autonomous state, freedom of thought, press, and liberal economic reforms.

It seemed they won. The first parliament and government accountable for it formed between March and July with the authorisation of the emperor. 

However, the Habsburgs only wanted time to reorganise. After they crushed all the other revolutions in the empire, they turned against Hungary. Shockingly for the Vienna court, they suffered several defeats even though they stirred Romanians, Serbians, Croats against the Hungarian government. The Hungarian revolutionary army defeated the Habsburg Empire in their glorious spring offensive in 1849. Moreover, in April, the Hungarian parliament dethroned the Habsburgs.

Nobody supported an independent Hungary

But nobody supported an independent Hungary in the region despite its victories. The German revolution was crushed, Great Britain and France greeted Lajos Kossuth and Hungary, but thought it important that the Habsburg Empire remain intact in Central Europe. Therefore, no foreign powers sent help to Pest.

On the other hand, the Habsburgs realised they could not defeat Hungary alone.

Therefore, Franz Joseph asked Russian tsar Nicholas I, “the gendarme of Europe”, for help.

isaszeg history days

Russia attacked with 200,000 soldiers

The Russians knew that the Hungarians would do everything in their power to save what they achieved. In late 1848, early 1849, Polish general Joseph Bem defeated several Russian armies in Transylvania. Thus, Nicholas decided to send an army capable even by itself to crush Hungary.

As a result, 200,000 soldiers attacked Hungary in 1849 July from the northeast.

That was the same size as Putin’s invasion force: BBC reported on 23rd February that the “new tsar”, Vladimir Putin, gathered 190,000 soldiers close to Ukraine’s borders. If we accept Ukrainian and American reports, almost 100% of that army is already in Ukraine.

isaszeg history days

Turning back to 1849, the Habsburgs faced a similarly big army as their own. Based on military historian Gábor Bóna’s calculations, the Hungarian Army reached 170,000 soldiers on July 1849. Artúr Görgei, the leader of the Hungarian Defence Forces, wanted to baulk the Habsburg army to unite with the Russians. Therefore, he attacked Habsburg general Haynau but suffered defeat. As a result, Lajos Kossuth modified the plan and ordered a withdrawal to Szeged.

Despite some minor victories against the Russians, for example, in Tura, the Hungarian army lost most of its strength and supplies during their long march back.

Habsburgs set an example despite the tsar’s opinion

Military experts said that Kossuth’s decision was catastrophic since Görgei could have defeated Haynau and the Habsburg army around the modern, impregnable fortress of Komárom.

Kossuth fled the country in August and made Görgei dictator. Following Bem’s defeat near Temesvár and because of the lack of supplies, he decided to surrender to the Russians. The remnants of the Hungarian army put down their weapons near Világos.

Interestingly, the tsar asked Franz Joseph for mercy, but Haynau wanted to set an example.

october 6 1849 arad_martyrs

They spared only Görgei’s life because the Russians did not let the Habsburgs execute him. But Nicholas I could not save 13 generals and Lajos Batthány, the first Hungarian PM, all were executed on 6th October 1849. Other military courts condemned 500 people to death and executed 110 of them. Thousands fled, and military rule was introduced in Hungary that kept Hungary in oppression until 1867.

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