The ISW noted that such tactics were being employed by Russia to create divisions between Ukraine and its European neighbors.
Hungarian politician Laszlo Toroczkai, leader of the Our Homeland Movement party, made a statement on January 27 suggesting that Hungary should lay claim to Ukraine's Zakarpattia region in the event of a Ukrainian defeat in the conflict.
Meanwhile, right-wing Romanian politician Claudiu Tarziu, leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians party, emphasized on January 29 the need for Romania to "reintegrate" areas of Ukraine with Romanian populations to maintain sovereignty.
ISW analysts pointed out that Russian sources amplified these statements by Toroczkai and Tarziu, highlighting these nationalist claims to Ukrainian territory.
The analysts noted that Russia had previously proposed the concept of a "partitioned Ukraine" between Russia and the West before the full-scale invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials revived this narrative in December, claiming that Ukraine has historical "territorial disputes" with Poland, Romania and Hungary.
The ISW highlighted the influence of the Russian nationalist framework known as the "Russian World" (Russkiy Mir), which appears to resonate with nationalist European factions. Russian information space actors are likely leveraging this ideological alignment to drive a wedge between Ukraine and its European neighbors, according to the ISW.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, Ukrinform, ISW
