Autonomy of Transcarpathia is below the common sense (OPINION)

Calls for autonomy and federalism continue, even though now, in the face of a real military threat, they seem at least, anti-statist. How real is the autonomy for Transcarpathia? – journalist Natalia Karalkina asked this question to the Director of the Research Institute of Political Regions Studies, the Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor Marian Tokar.

"Considering such calls regarding the Crimea, Transcarpathia, Galicia and other regions of Ukraine, we should pay attention to their history.The history of regions is a factor of their capacity in the future. The history of Transcarpathia over the last 100 years has been illustrating the undeniable fact that the region has never been and is not politically self-sufficient, and this is the result of other processes – social, economic, and so on. The autonomy of the region is now below the common sense. This is rather a propaganda and provocative thesis that hardly can be practically implemented. External factors and "permanent" status of hopeless periphery is far more dangerous to Transcarpathia" – the expert said.