The former director of Minaya, Mykhailo Kopolovets, responded to Prime Minister Orban's demands to recognize all of Transcarpathia as "traditionally Hungarian."
- "As a Ukrainian and a resident of Zakarpattia, I have the most negative attitude to the Hungarian demands. Let's annex Budapest then. Hungarians are aggressive towards us, although not all of them are. Unfortunately, the leadership of this country is pro-Russian. Our politicians should respond to the statement of the Hungarian leadership, and the EU should suppress such intentions.
Transcarpathia is Ukraine! Yes, this region has not always been Ukrainian, but wait - the world has changed and now there are clearly defined borders. Otherwise, there will be wars for every piece of land because it once belonged to someone. We are not animals.
There are many Hungarians living in Zakarpattia, some of whom don't even speak Ukrainian. This has always been the case, but no one oppresses anyone. Hungarians live comfortably in Zakarpattia. As far as I know, they receive some payments from the Orban government," Kopolovets said.