The Hungarian Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, urged the Ukrainian authorities to immediately cease the forced conscription of citizens and reported support for a Hungarian citizen who was detained while attempting to illegally smuggle Ukrainian men across the border.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Statement from Minister Szijjarto and Hungary’s Reaction
In a social media post on February 8, amid the approaching fourth anniversary of the full-scale war, Szijjarto noted that a significant number of Ukrainians, according to him, do not wish to participate in combat. He claims that there are alleged instances of “open hunting for people” and forced conscription occurring in Ukrainian cities.
“We see footage of violent conscription actions every day, often there is open hunting for people in the streets of Ukrainian cities. Many Ukrainian men – grandfathers, fathers, brothers, sons, grandsons – are desperately trying to flee Ukraine,” Szijjarto wrote.
Additionally, the minister spoke about the detention of a Hungarian citizen who, along with five Ukrainians, attempted to cross the border illegally. According to Szijjarto, the Hungarian consulate provided the detained individual with necessary protection and assisted in the investigative actions. He also emphasized that this incident highlights the urgent need to end the war and stop forced mobilization.
Details of the Detention and the Position of Official Kyiv
Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the statement from the Hungarian Foreign Minister. Meanwhile, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine released information about the incident on February 7. According to their data, border guards from the Mukachevo detachment detained one Hungarian citizen and five Ukrainians who were attempting to illegally enter Hungary.
According to law enforcement, the Hungarian acted as a guide in the attempt to illegally cross the border. The detainees reported that they were to pay between 9,000 to 15,000 US dollars each for such a service, with a total amount of 55,000 dollars. The Hungarian was charged with organizing the illegal transportation of individuals across the state border and was placed in custody with the possibility of bail.
On February 4, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that a Hungarian citizen died “due to Ukraine’s mandatory mobilization,” without specifying the circumstances of the event. He also promised to expel all Ukrainian officials involved in mobilization from the country. The Ukrainian side’s position regarding this statement has not yet been made public.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban maintains contacts with the Kremlin and has repeatedly criticized Europe’s stance towards Russia, calling it “harsh” and “pro-war” due to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.