Another Transcarpathian Hungarian citizen has lost his life following forced conscription into the Ukrainian military. The tragic news broke over the weekend, with Hungarian officials confirming media reports about the death of 46-year-old Zsolt Rebán.
Rebán, born in 1984, had lifelong heart problems and had been officially declared unfit for military service on multiple occasions. Despite his medical record and warnings from his family, he was stopped on the street in his village on 6 January and forcibly taken by Ukrainian authorities as part of ongoing conscription efforts. Days later, while at a training centre near Lviv, he collapsed and died on 18 January.
In a video posted on social media, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó sharply condemned the actions of the Ukrainian military and urged the international community to act against the ‘open manhunting’ linked to forced mobilization.
Balázs Orbán, political director of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, stressed in a post on X that Rebán was not only an ethnic Hungarian but also a citizen of the European Union. He criticized Ukrainian conscription practices, saying the case clearly illustrates the human cost of the conflict. Orbán called on European institutions not to turn a blind eye as reports continue to emerge about serious problems within Ukraine’s mobilization system. ‘It is obvious that Ukraine is not ready for EU membership, not even in the medium term,’ he said, adding that Europe needs responsibility rather than escalation. ‘Hungary stands for peace, because no more families should have to bury their sons in a war that should have ended long ago through diplomacy,’ he concluded.
Rebán is not the first ethnic Hungarian to die during Ukraine’s mobilization efforts. In July 2025, 45-year-old József Sebestyén was beaten to death during forced conscription. At the time, Kyiv denied any wrongdoing and refused to launch an official investigation, a decision sharply criticized by Szijjártó, who argued that such practices are fundamentally incompatible with European Union membership and condemned Brussels for remaining silent despite the death of an EU citizen.
The death of Rebán comes amid heightened tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Hungarian government officials, including Viktor Orbán, have accused Kyiv of interfering in Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary election by launching coordinated smear campaigns against Budapest in international forums and on social media. According to the Hungarian government, these attacks are aimed at pressuring Hungary to lift its veto on Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU accession and on massive long-term financial commitments outlined in Brussels’ proposed ‘Prosperity Framework’ for Ukraine.
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