Bors: Another Hungarian forced into military service in Ukraine despite exemption

Residents of Makkosjánosi, a small village in Transcarpathia, have written to Borsonline to share a troubling incident. According to them, neither the man’s exemption from military service nor the plight of his elderly, incapacitated mother seemed to matter to the Ukrainian police — his conscription training is already underway. Yet, many oddities surround the case. The government, however, is already loudly proclaiming that following the death of József Sebestény, here comes yet another Hungarian forced into service.

Military exemption documents not at hand

The government-aligned tabloid Borsonline reported this peculiar case, which so far has only been picked up by pro-government media outlets (public media, Demokrata, Index, Magyar Nemzet). Makkosjánosi lies just a few kilometres from Berehove and is home to around 2,000 inhabitants, mostly ethnic Hungarians. It was here, right on the street, that Ukrainian police took a man away after discovering he did not have his military exemption documents on him.

Borsonline did not publish the letter they received in full, but revealed that the man reportedly called for help in Russian — a strange detail given the village’s predominantly Hungarian-speaking population. Why would a Hungarian shout in Russian on the street of a tiny, largely Hungarian village?

Police officers could not be convinced

Those following events in Ukraine know the country’s armed forces are severely understaffed. It is not uncommon for conscripts to be taken from streets, shops, or even malls. Bors suggests this is one such instance. The man was not allowed to return home to fetch his exemption papers. Instead, police reportedly forced him into a patrol car using a chokehold. Several villagers rushed to the scene, telling the officers that the man was exempt from service because he cares for his elderly, incapacitated mother, but their protests fell on deaf ears.

Local residents say they have contacted village officials and a senior member of the local Hungarian party, the KMKSZ. They have even submitted proof confirming that the man is the legal guardian of his mother.