A Russian history textbook has put Hungary’s radical rightwing Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an uncomfortable position. The course book for 11 graders, which defends Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and devotes 90 pages to Vladimir Putin’s rule, refers to the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution as a fascist uprising and criticises the withdrawal of the Soviet army from the former Communist satellite countries as a mistake.

Independent news site G7.hu first reported the story on August 27, citing Riga-based Russian- and English-language independent news website Meduza.

Hungary's foreign ministry's reaction, two days after the story broke, was rather muted, not condemning Russia for distorting historical facts.

"In 1956, the Hungarian people rose up against the communist dictatorship, this is a clear, obvious fact, not a matter for debate", commented Tamas Menczer, deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The row puts the government in a tight spot. Either Orban, who started out fiercely anti-Russian, has to confront the Kremlin, or by keeping a neutral stance he could be seen as betraying the legacy of the 1956 revolutionaries, a key source of identity for many Fidesz supporters. Since returning to power in 2010 Orban has pursued close relations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

"The Hungarian crisis was triggered by the actions of the West's secret services and the internal opposition they supported. The Soviet Union sent troops to Hungary and helped the Hungarian authorities crush the protests," according to the textbook.

Just like with Ukraine's Orange Revolution, where the Russian narrative presents America and fascism as the main enemies, the same is done with the events of 1956.

Hungary’s communist leaders after 1956 referred to the uprising as a counter-revolution led by bourgeois elements of the pre-war era with the support of foreign intelligence, pretty much the same narrative now displayed in Russian textbooks.

The Facebook site of Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has been flooded by angry comments asking the country’s top diplomat to voice his dissent over the issue.

It's clear that pro-government media outlets are either avoiding the uncomfortable topic or waiting for Fidesz's spin doctors to craft a narrative. The most probable scenario is that the propaganda machine will play for time and wait until the issue loses public interest.

Orban first earned nationwide recognition on June 16, 1989, at the reburial of Imre Nagy and other leaders of the 1956 revolution executed by the Soviets, which was a symbol of Hungary's move toward democracy and a break from its communist past. It was there where, the young leader of the liberal, anti-communist youth party, Orban delivered a famous speech, in which he called on Russian troops to leave the country.

This may have seemed a bold statement for many, but the political agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union led by reformist Mikhail Gorbachev had already been sealed over pulling out troops from Hungary and other former communist states. Hungary's communist leaders actually led the movement towards democracy in the country, in contrast for example to neighbouring Czechoslovakia.

Nevertheless, many veterans of 1956 have praised the then 26-year-old leader of Fidesz for standing up against the Russian troops in Hungary.

Opposition parties, whom Orban has numerously accused of being puppets of foreign actors and acting against national interests, have called on the government to make its position clear on the matter.

Geza Jeszenszky, who served as foreign minister under Hungary’s first democratically elected government led by Jozsef Antall, believes that the prime minister should respond to the blatant falsification of history that offends many Hungarians and protest against it at all possible diplomatic channels.

At the very least, the government should consider summoning the Russian ambassador, he said, adding that Peter Szijjarto should return the Friendship Order received from Sergey Lavrov.

Jeszenszky added laconically that he does not expect any of these scenarios to play out, most likely there will be a vague response "lacking any substance".

The history book, ready for the new school year, was co-written by Vladimir Medinsky, a former Russian culture minister and advisor of President  Putin. Of the 448 pages, 264 cover the post-war Soviet period, 48 pages are about Russia in the 1990s, and 94 pages are devoted to the Putin era.