I'm not sure what a beignet is, Lisa, but your photo looks similar to a treat my grandmother used to make called kruschiki. Kruschiki is a Ukranian word. This pastry is a very light, flaky dough, that is cut in the center and turned like a bow, deep fried, then coated with confectioner's sugar. Although it is deep fried, it should not be greasy or heavy in any way. Just flaky, with powdered sugar that can't help but get all over! Unfortunately, I don't know how to make them, (they never used written recipes or measurements in those days) and I hesitate to try any of the online recipes because I have never tasted any that had the airyness that hers did.
Is this a similar food, with roots in Europe? European borders and peoples moved about with such frequency (borders moving, armies conquering, people leaving their homelands) that I am surprised there are not more foods that are similar throughout Europe.