An analysis by Csilla Fedinec in the April 23 issue of Jelen.

In Russia’s war-related and broader geopolitical ambitions, a clear intention emerges to restore its influence over the post-Soviet space. This is not merely a matter of historical nostalgia or ideological aspiration, but a process driven by a highly concrete strategic logic, aimed at the military and political reintegration of the former Soviet region. Within this system, particular importance is assigned to those states whose geographic location, military infrastructure, or political orientation enables them to play a key role. In this context, Belarus and Ukraine assume closely interconnected yet distinct roles: while Ukraine has become the focal point of the conflict through its armed resistance, Belarus has emerged as a less visible but strategically decisive supporting actor.

The significance of Belarus lies in the fact that it does not appear as an independent belligerent, but rather as a space that enables the extension of Russian military presence. This role is particularly important for the dynamics of the war, as it forms a kind of intermediate zone between Russia and NATO’s eastern flank, while also providing direct access to northern Ukraine

Csilla Fedinec will participate in the 7th Regional History Conference in Eger on April 14, 2026.

Our colleague, Ágnes Tóth, gave lectures on the situation of Germans in Hungary after 1945:

On March 27, she delivered a lecture in Stuttgart at an event organized by the Liszt Institute and the Institute for Danube Swabian History and Regional Studies, held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of Germans from Hungary. The title of her lecture was: Forced Migration and Power Restructuring in Hungary (1945–1948).

On March 31, at the invitation of the German Minority Self-Government, she gave a lecture in Újhartyán titled The Situation of Germans in Hungary, 1945–1953.

Csilla Fedinec’s article has been published in issue 2026/1 of Fórum Társadalomtudományi Szemle.

The escalation of the Russian–Ukrainian war in February 2022 has profoundly reshaped European security architecture and the international discourse on the protection of national minorities. Historically, minority rights in Europe have been primarily addressed through human rights and cultural perspectives, emphasising the preservation of linguistic and cultural identity, access to education, and political participation. Institutions such as the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the OSCE have established normative and monitoring frameworks to safeguard these rights, largely treating minority protection as a mechanism for societal cohesion and democratic stability. However, the 2022 war exposed the potential for minority protection narratives to be used for geopolitical purposes. Russian political rhetoric presented alleged threats to Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine as a justification for military intervention, blending legal and human rights terminology with political and territorial ambitions. This highlighted the limitations of a purely normative approach and prompted a re-evaluation of minority protection in security terms. In response, international institutions and the Ukrainian state have adopted an integrated post-2022 model combining legal guarantees, cultural support, and security measures. This approach emphasises protecting minority languages and education, ensuring political participation and fostering loyalty, and monitoring external influence and propaganda. Empirical evidence from Hungarian, Romanian, Polish and Crimean Tatar communities shows that when minorities are actively engaged in civil and defensive efforts, societal cohesion is strengthened and the 'internal enemy' narrative is undermined. The study also examines the role of kinship-based state policies, emphasising how the supportive engagement of Romania and Poland contrasts with Hungary's more contentious interventions, which could pose risks to trust and integration. Overall, the war has catalysed a paradigm shift in European minority protection, emphasising the inseparability of human rights, political loyalty and security considerations in contexts affected by conflict.

The full issue is available on the journal's website.

CONTENTS

HUNGARIAN SELF-ORGANIZATIONS IN BANAT AND BAČKA
Leeway and Control: Administrative Supervision of Vojvodina Hungarian Associations in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1936–1941)
“Bačka belongs to the People of Bačka.” The Organization of Administrative Positions and the Struggle for Positions in Reannexed Bačka
The Bishop and the Others. German Occupation, Christian Nationalism, and Reformed Congregations in the Banat Region, 1941–1944

CHINA AND THE MINORITY QUESTION
Ethnic Minorities in China’s Changing Political Landscape
Herders and Settlers: How Mongol Conquerors Became the “Model Minority” in Modern China
Algorithmic Imaginary in Surveillance Technicity: The Renegotiation of Minzu Identity among China’s Ethnic Minority Wanghongs on Douyin

DISCUSSION
Questionnaire on the Political Representation of National Minorities II.
Balázs Dobos, Péró Lászity, Sándor Móré, Anna Unger‍243

REVIEW
L. Balogh Béni, Enikő Kirkósa, Ferenc Eiler, Andrea Juhász, Ágnes Huber

On the occasion of March 15, our colleague Tamás Gusztáv Filep was awarded the Hungarian Silver Cross of Merit (Civil Division) in recognition of his work.

Our colleague, Csilla Fedinec, will participate in the CEU Democracy Institute’s election debate series on March 16, 2026.

How can Russian influence manifest in Hungarian politics? What role do disinformation and manipulated narratives spreading on social media play, and how do they affect the integrity of elections and public trust in democratic institutions?

With the support of our institute's research program, Ferenc Horváth's book Kommunista–zsidó–magyar: Gáll Ernő, a hontalan filozófus [Communist–Jewish–Hungarian: Ernő Gáll, the Stateless Philosopher] was published by Kriterion Publishing House. The table of contents and foreword can be read here (in Hungarian)

The Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University is organizing a conference titled "Common City Conference 2026" for researchers and activists on the right to the city, housing, and social justice in an urban context. The conference will take place in Uppsala from August 26 to 28, 2026. One of the conference panels, titled "A Feminist Social Provisioning? The Potentials and Obstacles of Commoning Housing and Care," is organized by research fellows Katalin Ámon and Fanni Dés from the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Minority Studies, together with Angelina Kussy, a researcher at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.

Abstracts for conference participation are accepted until March 27, 2026.

For more information visit the Conference web page.

Our colleague, Réka Marchut, will give a presentation on February 21 at the Living Heritage conference to be held in Nagykároly. The title of her presentation is: "Hungarian world", "Romanian world", the fate of the Swabians of Satu Mare - The history of the Swabians of Satu Mare from 1940 to the present

Programme: Part 1 | Part 2