Hungary lifts ban on Ukrainian media imposed under Orbán
Photo: Hungary lifts ban on Ukrainian media introduced under Orbán (freepik.com)
The Ukrainian community and refugees living in Hungary will once again be able to access news in their native language without restrictions. To make this possible, the Hungarian authorities reviewed a decision that had sparked considerable debate, according to Hungary's Minister for Social Relations and Culture, Zoltán Tarr.
According to the minister, the decision to unblock Ukrainian media outlets was made jointly with the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tarr recalled that the ban on Ukrainian publications was introduced in 2025 in response to Ukraine's decision to restrict the activities of certain Hungarian media outlets. According to him, those outlets were viewed by the Ukrainian side as violating journalistic standards, spreading Russian propaganda, and fueling fears about a potential world war.
"Media outlets that spread Russian propaganda must not be confused with genuine independent journalism, either in Hungary or internationally. The previous government constantly worked to deepen divisions, and blocking these publications served no other purpose," the minister said.
He added that the current government is focused on improving relations with neighboring countries, which should also positively affect the Hungarian community living abroad.
"Our task is to build good-neighborly relations, which will help improve the situation of Hungarians living outside the country. This is a shared national cause. By following this path and thanks to our previous historic agreement, we have achieved more in a few weeks than the previous government did in 16 years," Tarr stressed.
The decision to lift the ban was coordinated with Liliána Grexa, a representative of Ukraine's national minority in Hungary.
Following the decision, she emphasized that access to news in one's native language is extremely important both for the Ukrainian community and for refugees residing in Hungary.
As a reminder, after winning the parliamentary elections, the Tisza Party secured a constitutional majority and began reviewing a number of decisions adopted during Viktor Orbán's time in office. One of the new government's priorities is reforming state institutions and the media sector.
In particular, lawmakers have already introduced a bill to reform public media, aimed at limiting political influence over editorial policy, renewing management structures, and creating an independent oversight mechanism.
