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Hungary Hits Back at Kyiv, Bans Ukrainska Pravda and More Outlets

Hungary Hits Back at Kyiv, Bans Ukrainska Pravda and More Outlets

Logo of Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda
Hungary has retaliated against Ukraine’s decision to block foreign outlets by banning access to several Ukrainian sites, including Ukrainska Pravda. Minister Gergely Gulyás called Kyiv’s move censorship, arguing that silencing critical media undermines its EU bid.

Hungary has announced retaliatory measures against Ukrainian media outlets after Kyiv blocked access to several Hungarian and foreign news portals last week.

Gergely Gulyás, the minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office, condemned Ukraine’s decision, arguing that a country aspiring to join the European Union should not silence foreign press simply for publishing articles critical of sanctions against Russia, military aid to Ukraine, or for portraying the EU and NATO as fragmented and ineffective. ‘The real crime, however, was daring to write about the Soros Foundation’s influence operations,’ Gulyás stated.

As Hungarian Conservative reported, Ukrainian authorities moved to ban several foreign online outlets earlier in September, making them inaccessible in the country. The ban affected Hungarian-language outlets including Origo, Demokrata, Vdtablog, Szilaj Csikó, Pravda Magyarország, News Front, Bal-Rad, and Hirlistazo. In addition, Pravda Romania, Flux24, Sputnik Moldova–România, TopWar, Rezistenta, the official site of the Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova (pcrm.md), as well as Greece’s 902.gr, the portal of the Communist Party of Greece, were also blocked.

Ukraine Bans Hungarian Media Outlets, Citing Russian Propaganda

According to the Ukrainian justification, these platforms spread disinformation about alleged ‘terrorist activities’ of Ukrainians, mocked support for Ukraine, portrayed the EU and NATO as divided and ineffective, criticized sanctions policy, and circulated conspiracy theories.

Announcing Hungary’s reciprocal measures, Gulyás said that as of Monday, a number of Ukrainian news sites would no longer be accessible from within Hungary. ‘I don’t believe many people read Ukrainska Pravda or even wish to,’ he remarked. ‘But a sovereign country must respond proportionately to a completely unjustified attack.’ Ukrainska Pravda is among the most popular news sites in Ukraine, alongside tsn.ua, which has also been banned under the new measures.

The minister added that if mere discussion of EU fragmentation is enough for Ukraine to impose state censorship, then Kyiv should reconsider its EU membership ambitions. ‘Ukrainian membership would only further fragment the Union,’ he warned.

Gulyás concluded that rather than restricting free expression, it would be wiser to curb the interference of the Soros network in sovereign countries’ domestic affairs.

The Hungarian government listed the following Ukrainian portals as subject to the ban:

  • tsn.ua
  • oboz.ua
  • anons-zak.com.ua
  • ungvar.uz.ua
  • zakarpattya.net.ua
  • pravda.com.ua
  • hromadske.ua
  • nv.ua
  • lb.ua
  • insiderinfo.com.ua
  • uaonline.com.ua
  • eurointegration.com.ua

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Hungary has retaliated against Ukraine’s decision to block foreign outlets by banning access to several Ukrainian sites, including Ukrainska Pravda. Minister Gergely Gulyás called Kyiv’s move censorship, arguing that silencing critical media undermines its EU bid.
Joakim Scheffer graduated from the University of Szeged with a Master’s degree in International Relations. Before joining Hungarian Conservative, he worked as an editor at the foreign policy desk of Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet and serves as the editor of Eurasia magazine.

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