The clashes began on Friday and continued on Monday morning as a result of ongoing unrest following the recent elections, where ethnic Albanian politicians won mayorships. Confrontations broke out between ethnic Serbian protesters taking to the street and the police near the municipal offices of three towns. 20 Hungarian soldiers were injured.

‘Historically, wars are coups d’états in the interior of the political process. It’s usually invisible to outsiders and it usually doesn’t respond to outside activity. The war in Ukraine started with people who are non-historians reading the history of Russia, the way a non-historian is looking for something relevant today. So, whenever they think that they have some historical information, it’s always misinformation because it gets taken out of context.’

A new, temporary exhibition of military history is set to open in August in St Stephen Museum and Monastery in Székesfehérvár. This is all part of the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the formation of the modern Hungarian Defence Forces this year.

The Hungarian military was commemorating the National Defence Day with a whole slew of fun activities for families which included climbing inside and on top of tanks, an obstacle course, and meeting with the Olympic medalist athletes of the Sports Battalion.

The prime minister emphasised that whether there is the possibility of a military resolution or the need for ceasefire and peace negotiations, Hungary stands on the side of peace, therefore supports any plan that leads to it.

Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky drew attention to the fundamental change in the security situation in Europe and stressed that the military must demonstrate appropriate deterrence to ensure the safety of the Hungarian people. He emphasised that defence is something that concerns all Hungarians, and reiterated that the Hungarian Defence Forces welcome young people who want to join in the armed defence of the homeland.

The Hungarian Defence Forces’ JAS-39 Gripen fighter aircraft and H145M and Mi-24 helicopters will fly over the Ludovika campus on Saturday as part of the Ludovika Festival in Budapest.

Bucharest would also deepen its defence cooperation with Washington, and not exclusively through arms purchases. Meanwhile, Romania and Poland, the two largest countries in the Central and Eastern European region, are building the two most powerful militaries, with a strong emphasis on interoperability between their armed forces.

‘We cannot look at the European Union as those who must be listened to and must always have the best solutions in a suitcase to Bucharest or Warsaw,’ Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki stressed in Bucharest.

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has recently held talks with his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billström, in Stockholm.

In the CEE region, only Romania and the Czech Republic are ahead of Hungary in terms of the strength of their military. This is a quite notable achievement given that in 2010, the Hungarian Defence Forces were still lagging behind the Serbian, Austrian, and even the Slovak and Croatian armed forces.

Poland’s efforts to turn its growing military power into political influence may be hampered by criticism of its alleged rule of law issues and concerns over its arms purchases from non-NATO countries outside Europe.

‘Weapons that Europe has at its disposal cannot become a threat to anyone so long as the continent’s democratic societies won’t demonstrate a capacity and determination to make use of them,’ Alexis Carré said.

In the present circumstances, even the smallest change affecting the Bundeswehr could be the source of prolonged political debates that not only protract the deployment of forces and the acquisition of equipment, but also greatly hinder effectiveness.

The Hungarian force development programme essentially aims at acquiring NATO-compatible equipment, increasing troops levels, and building a national defence industry.

The prolongation of the war in Ukraine and the challenges to Russia’s military strength may lead to more armed conflicts all over the post-Soviet sphere, as countries in the region try to capitalise on Russia’s weakness.

The struggle between a rising China and a hegemonic United States poses the genuine risk of another world war; historical precedence tells us that such conflicts rarely end without bloodshed. An article by security expert and military historian Bálint Somkuti, published on Mandiner.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine forced most NATO members to reckon with the poor shape of their military and left them searching for quick fixes. Countless procurement programmes have been signed for new weaponry, but we’re still short of manpower. Compulsory service, perhaps even for women, may prove to be the only answer.

Upgrading the Hungarian military industry means that “Hungarians give Hungarian weapons to Hungarian soldiers”.