Transcarpathian Hungarian soldier Zoltán Sima has died in a Russian drone strike in Konstantinivka, Kramatorsky district, in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. According to reports, Sima was killed in action when Russian forces targeted Ukrainian army positions with an FPV drone.
The soldier will be laid to rest on Friday, 31 October, in his native village of Solomonovo (Tiszasalamon). The funeral service will begin at 12:15pm Central European Time. The Chop (Csap) town council, which announced the tragic news, has called on residents to form a living corridor along the procession route in honour of the fallen defender.
With the death of Zoltán Sima, the number of soldiers of Hungarian nationality or Hungarian descent from Transcarpathia who have fallen since the beginning of the war has risen to more than 70. As Hungarian Conservative previously reported, the 128th Transcarpathian Brigade suffered heavy losses in 2023 after being deployed to the most intense combat zones.
‘The number of soldiers of Hungarian nationality or Hungarian descent from Transcarpathia who have fallen since the beginning of the war has risen to more than 70’
In July this year, the Hungarian outlet Mandiner broke the story of a Transcarpathian man allegedly beaten to death by Ukrainian conscription officers. According to the report, József Sebestyén was apprehended by recruitment officers as he tried to flee to avoid being sent to the front, near the Parisel Café in Beregszász. He was allegedly forced into a van, transported to the recruitment centre in Uzhhorod (Ungvár), then taken to Mukachevo (Munkács) and conscripted into the 128th Brigade. There, in a nearby forest, he was reportedly beaten with iron bars and, the following day, sent into active duty, where he collapsed.
Sebestyén’s death sparked serious tension between Budapest and Kyiv. While the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied the accusations, Hungary maintained that Kyiv has not been transparent about the investigation into the alleged beating.
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