Is Hungary planning to help Russia chop up Ukraine so it can get back Transcarpathia? No, that's not true: There is no evidence proving that Hungary has territorial claims towards Ukraine, either on the government's websites or reported by news organizations.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by @tordadavid on June 9, 2023.
Hungary takes part in chopping up Ukraine the goal is to get back Transcarpathia.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Jun 14 15:27:31 2023 UTC)
The claim originates from an interview on news.ru with a Russian politician, Aleksey Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee. He said: "Now, when Ukrainian troops are fighting against our fortifications in the Donbass, there is a chance for Poland, Hungary and Romania, claiming the west of Ukraine, to occupy these lands under the guise of helping Kyiv."
Similar claims spread last year after Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his speech for Russia's national holiday on November 4, 2022, mentioned that Poland had not yet renounced its plan to occupy Ukraine and that the territories of Romania, Poland and Hungary were forcibly joined to Ukraine. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry condemned the statement of the Russian president in an article by Index.hu and urged an immediate ceasefire and peace talks.
A search for the phrase "kárpátalja," using Google News' index of thousands of credible news sites, did not reveal any factual reports that could prove that Hungary has territorial claims towards Ukraine, nor did a similar search on the government's website, kormany.hu, give any useful results.
