Day: January 1, 2025

Péter Magyar, an opponent of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, called for early parliamentary elections. So far, they are scheduled for 2026, Bloomberg reports.

“Let there be a new election, to return the right of deciding their fate to the people,” Magyar addressed Orbán in a New Year’s speech.

Bloomberg emphasizes that Orbán’s Fidesz party is losing ground in the ratings to Magyar’s new Tisza party, which was formed in April last year. Several polls conducted in the second half of 2024 showed that Tisza has a significant advantage over the ruling party.

As the agency reminds, support for Fidesz is falling as weak economic growth and high inflation have undermined confidence in Orbán’s management of the economy. The ratings were also affected by high-profile scandals involving the party. However, Orbán is counting on an economic recovery this year to boost his chances in the elections.

Magyar’s visit to Kyiv

On July 11, 2024, Péter Magyar visited Kyiv. At that time, he handed over medical equipment to hospitals in the capital against the backdrop of the Russian attack on Okhmatdyt.

Also in June, he emphasized that he opposed the supply of weapons to Ukraine, but wanted to support the country by any other means.

Magyar also acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the aggressor.

As a result of a drone attack on the Yartsevskaya oil depot in the Smolensk region, two tanks containing gasoline and diesel fuel caught fire. The attack was carried out by Ukraine’s Defense Forces, according to the ASTRA Telegram channel.

According to ASTRA, the oil depot was allegedly attacked by 11 drones. As a result, two fuel tanks with a capacity of 700 cubic meters each were damaged. One contained gasoline, while the other held diesel fuel. The damaged tanks were reportedly not fully filled.

Additionally, there were allegedly no casualties from the attack, but residents of nearby houses were evacuated.

Explosions in the Smolensk region on December 31

Earlier, it was reported that a drone attack took place in the city of Yartsevo, Smolensk region, on the night of December 31. The governor of the Smolensk region, Vasily Anokhin, stated that the fire at the oil depot occurred due to the fall of debris from a downed drone.

Later, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Special Operations Forces, in coordination with the Drone Systems Forces and other components of the Defense Forces, carried out a strike on the Yartsevskaya oil depot in the Smolensk region.