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.

According to Bors, the man is currently in Khmelnytskyi, where his conscription training has begun. He was permitted one phone call, during which he said he did not want help for fear of being sentenced to ten years in prison. Bors hints that he may have been beaten.

The Hungarian government reacted immediately

According to press reports, another ethnic Hungarian has been forced to join the Ukrainian army in Transcarpathia, the communications director of ruling Fidesz said on Facebook on Wednesday, the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) said. In his post, Tamás Menczer said, “we hope he is still alive … Ukraine cannot become an EU member”, and shared a link to the report.

Borsonline reported that the man, a resident of Yanoshi (Makkosjánosi), had a written certificate that he was the caregiver and guardian of his sick mother, but could not produce the document to the police in the street and was forced into a police car. According to Borsonline’s information, the man was transferred to Khmelnytsky for military training.

Indigenous Hungarian community in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia

The Hungarian community in Transcarpathia numbers approximately 80,000 people and is indigenous to the region. They have lived in a small area near the current Hungarian-Ukrainian border for over 1,000 years. In recent years, due to economic difficulties and the full-scale Russian invasion, tens of thousands of local Hungarians, mostly men, have left the area. Many of them now live and work close to the border in Hungary.

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Click for more news concerning Transcarpathia.