“Abductions, beatings, death”: Budapest demands EU response to violence by Ukrainian military recruiters

Budapest intends to initiate a discussion within the European Union regarding the harsh methods used by Ukrainian authorities in enforcing forced mobilization.

This was stated by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, commenting on the death of a Ukrainian-Hungarian citizen — an ethnic Hungarian from Transcarpathia — who died after being forcibly conscripted by Ukrainian recruitment officers.

“Tomorrow, at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, I intend to raise this issue and call on the European Union to develop a common position. Brussels must clearly state whether the use of violence during mobilization in Ukraine is acceptable or if it contradicts European values,” Szijjártó emphasized.

According to him, the situation in Ukraine is alarming, as an increasing number of videos are circulating online showing men being forcibly seized from streets, markets, and even their homes. Among the conscripts are people with no military training, chronic illnesses, or those medically unfit for service.

“People are being taken right in front of their families, their young children, without any compassion or regard for their physical condition. They are subjected to abuse, beaten, and, as in the case of our compatriot, sometimes die as a result. We find this absolutely unacceptable and will demand a clear response from Brussels,” the Hungarian foreign minister stated.

Szijjártó also stressed that Hungary, as an EU member and representative of the Hungarian diaspora in Transcarpathia, cannot remain indifferent to these developments. He added that forced mobilization accompanied by violence degrades human dignity and violates fundamental human rights principles.

The minister expressed hope that EU partners would show solidarity and provide a principled assessment of these events, sending a clear message to Ukraine on the necessity to uphold the rights and freedoms of its citizens even during wartime.

As a reminder, the death of 45-year-old József Sebestyén, an ethnic Hungarian and citizen of both Ukraine and Hungary, sparked outrage not only in Transcarpathia but across Europe.

He died after being brutally beaten at a Ukrainian recruitment center (TCC) in the city of Berehove, where he was forcibly taken by military officials under the pretext of “verifying his data.” He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital a few days later.