Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed his condolences following the death of a Transcarpathian Hungarian man who succumbed to injuries sustained after being beaten by Ukrainian conscription officers. ‘My sincere condolences to the family of the Hungarian man who died as a result of forced conscription in Ukraine. We stand with you in these difficult times,’ Orbán wrote on his Facebook page.
The tragic news was reported on Wednesday night by Hungarian outlet Mandiner. According to their article, conscription officers assaulted the 45-year-old man, József S, with iron bars. He spent the last three weeks of his life in intensive care at a hospital in Beregszász. Details of his death were shared by his sister on Facebook. ‘Neurosurgeon András Csókay compared the heinous crime to the execution of Bishop Tódor Romzsa,’ she wrote. Bishop Romzsa, a Transcarpathian Greek Catholic priest, died on 27 October 1947 after a Soviet military truck deliberately rammed his horse-drawn carriage. The attackers then assaulted him and his entourage with iron bars. Though hospitalized with severe injuries, he was subsequently poisoned by members of the Soviet secret service (NKVD).
According to an eyewitness, conscription officers apprehended József S as he attempted to flee to avoid being sent to the front near the Parisel café in Beregszász. He was forced into a van and transported to the recruitment centre in Ungvár, then taken to Munkács and conscripted into the 128th Brigade. There, in a forest, he was brutally beaten with iron bars by conscription officers and, the following day, sent into active duty, where he collapsed. Mandiner’s sources indicated that the family had initially been led to believe that he was safe.
József S was laid to rest on 6 July.
In response to the incident, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade summoned Ukraine’s ambassador to Budapest. Parliamentary State Secretary Levente Magyar condemned the act, stating: ‘It is outrageous and unacceptable to beat someone to death, especially a Hungarian man, simply because he did not want to go to war and did not wish to participate in senseless killing.’
The tragic death of József S highlights how Hungarian–Ukrainian relations have deteriorated to historic lows. Last week, Kyiv summoned Hungarian Ambassador to Ukraine Antal Hejzer over an ad campaign opposing Ukraine’s EU accession. Prime Minister Orbán has vowed to block Ukraine’s bid, citing concerns over economic repercussions and the risk of direct conflict with Russia.
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