A scandal has erupted in Hungary following the appearance on the streets of several cities of controversial electoral banners featuring an image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The posters carry the message: “Remember! Uzhhorod is a Hungarian city. Borscht is a Hungarian dish.”
The image shows a man whose face has been replaced with that of Zelensky, with tears in his eyes, holding a spoon of borscht. The banner is presented in an ironic manner.
The banners are part of a political campaign associated with the team of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and the posters bear the inscription “Nemzeti Petíció” (“National Petition”), indicating an initiative intended to mobilize voters on a nationalist agenda. The campaign is unfolding against the backdrop of intensifying critical rhetoric against Ukraine by political circles close to the Budapest government, reports Dialog.
The message that Uzhhorod would be “a Hungarian city” and that borscht would be “a Hungarian dish” has sparked reactions on social networks, where numerous users have accused the campaign of provocation and anti-Ukrainian propaganda.
Criticism regarding possible Russian influences
Analysts and critics of the Budapest government have argued that the style of rhetoric and visual presentation of the campaign are reminiscent of political propaganda methods used in Russian campaigns.
In the past, some Western intelligence services have claimed that the Kremlin has sent political consultants and resources to support Viktor Orbán’s electoral strategy, accusations, however, rejected by Hungarian authorities.
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