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.