Kyiv: Budapest issued more than hundred thousand passports to Ukrainians in Transcarpathia
More than 100,000 Ukrainians in Transcarpathia have Hungarian passports, as stated by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar in an interview with Radio Liberty.
"Most of these passports were issued before Ukraine received a visa-free travel regime [with EU] and there was a practical benefit of having these passports. It was possible to cross the border without restrictions, to get a job in Hungary or in other countries,” the representative of the Foreign Ministry noted.
Bodnar stressed that unlike Hungary, Ukrainian legislation does not provide for dual citizenship. "This is a violation of Ukrainian law. And the one who received his passport, is aware of his responsibilities, especially if he goes to military service, to state service, which has a few other restrictions," he noted.
The Deputy Minister was certain that many people with Hungarian passports have left to work in other EU countries. "According to various estimates, from thirty to forty thousand able-bodied Ukrainian citizens of Hungarian origin went to other European countries. In fact, both Hungary and Ukraine have lost them... They went where there are big salaries. The wages in particular areas of the Slovak Republic, in Austria and Germany are much higher than in Hungary," Bodnar added.