Hungarians fighting in Ukraine: how, where and how many died?
We are probably all aware that Hungarians are also fighting in the war Russia started against Ukraine last February. But do we know exactly where they fight and how many of them lost their lives? A Hungarian news outlet spoke to the domestic organisation supporting the soldiers, and to those who are serving on the front line and with the Ukrainian border guards.
The majority of Transcarpathian Hungarians serve in the Ukrainian border police, not in the army. But that doesn’t stop them from fighting on the front line, often in the first lines. 24.hu talked to Transcarpathian Hungarians fighting in the war about their experiences, the number of Hungarians in the army, and how harmful the Orbán cabinet’s propaganda towards the war is.
Around 400 Hungarians have fought so far in Ukraine, 30 died
The two best-known “Hungarian” units in the Ukrainian army are the 128th Mountain Brigade in Munkachevo and the 68th “Transcarpathian Dragons” (“Kárpátaljai Sárkányok”) Volunteer Territorial Defence Battalion of the 101st Brigade. Both are mixed units, so neither of them is made up exclusively of Hungarians. However, in these two, we find the largest number of Hungarians serving at the front.
Fegyir Sándor, a member of the “Transcarpathian Dragons”, is known in the world press as the “professor from the trenches”. He teaches philosophy, sociology of religion and sociology of tourism at the University of Uzhhorod. He even gives lectures and exams online from the front line. (The university professor, who holds the rank of sergeant in the Ukrainian army, has the surname Sándor, while Fegyir is the equivalent of Ferenc in Hungarian, so that is his first name.)
Mr Sándor estimates that around 400 Hungarians have fought in the war so far. “Thirty of them have unfortunately died”, he said in response to questions from 24.hu. We first wrote about the “professor from the trenches” HERE. You can read about how he is set to become Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary HERE.
“Brainwashed by the Orbán media”
What about the Hungarian soldiers’ relationship with their Ukrainian comrades?
“Hungarians are soldiers just like everyone else. They don’t discriminate between them,” Mr Sándor said.
Another Hungarian soldier, Attila, who serves with the border guards in Mukachevo, said, “I have no problems in the Ukrainian army because of my Hungarianness”. According to him, “everyone is respected here as they deserve”. “We have been serving together since the beginning of the war and we are respected as Hungarians. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of many of my fellow Hungarian citizens who have been brainwashed by the Orbán media,” the non-commissioned officer of the border guards in Mukachevo noted.
Hungarian flags and badges are not a problem in Ukraine
“I have been driving around Ukraine with a Hungarian flag in my car for many years. No one has ever bothered me. I wonder: would this be the case in Hungary with a Ukrainian or Romanian flag, for example?” Attila asked. “Russian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, sometimes Romanian nationalities serve together and everyone is respected as much as he deserves. Regardless of who they are.”
In this context, 24.hu also asked Fegyir Sándor whether soldiers of Hungarian nationality really start wearing Hungarian flags as badges in the Ukrainian army. “Yes, and I see nothing wrong with that. This is our national identity,” he said.
As for the situation of Hungarians in Ukraine, Attila said
“It would make the situation of the Hungarians in Transcarpathia much easier if Orbán would not openly side with the terrorist Putin.”
Their most famous operations so far
Where are the people of Transcarpathia fighting? Fegyir Sándor answered: along with other soldiers on all the front lines. “The most famous operations in which we participated: Klishchiivka and Bakhmutske (near Bahmut), and Piatykhatky on the southern front, as well as Lyman and Kupyansk,” said the Uzhhorod university professor.
Great quote: “It would make the situation of the Hungarians in Transcarpathia much easier if Orban would not openly side with the terrorist Putin.” Attila forgot to add that Putin is a wanted war criminal. Hungary will pay long-term for what its’ government has been doing to support Russia against Ukraine and against Europe. Don’t let anyone think that what Fidesz is doing now won’t be taken into account in everyone’s dealings with Hungary. What a pure shame that Orban has bought out by Putin.
Why would Hungarians fight on behalf of the oppressor Zelensky? Hungarian standard of living in Ukraine improved because Prime Minister Orban has been sending millions in aid to the oppressed minority.
Anonymous @ Putin a terrorist, if there is one person worthy that name than is that Zelensky. It was Zelensky who had been terrorizing his own people in the Donbas for 14 years, resulting in 14- to 20 thousand deaths, including continuous shelling the city of Donetsk, that was the signal for Putin to start the special operation, that the west, NATO, which is now an aggressive attack organization further escalated, If Zelensky had respected the Minks agreements of year 2014, that with co-signatories Germany and France this war would not have existed, but again in year 2022 the west sabotaged the peace negotiations in Istanbul. The west therefore now very unreliable, Russia will ultimately prevail,
They fight for their country, which is Ukraine, even if they are ethnic hungarians. And that’s what they should do; I would do the same. Romania is my country, and I have also romanian ethnicity too, and if tommorow would broke a war against Romania, even if I’m hungarian, I would go and fight for Romania.
@Petey, what kind of mind altering drugs have you been taking? Zelensky terrorizing for 14 years? I don’t think I need to comment on the other fantasies you wrote about. Must be nice to let your mind be inhabited by others so fully and so freely. Unfortunately, that kind of simple-mindedness is not good for you or for anyone else.
You’ve been watching too much Hungarian state TV.
Zoli @ I don’t use drugs, its your favorite president of Ukraine, snorts white powder. And this, I don’t come from Hungary but I follow Hungary politics, the leader of Hungary he has balls, he stands up for his people, this is what you cannot say of the western European ‘leaders’, they all are weak and puppets of America, they all thought to isolate Russia with sanctions, but Putin more smarter than them,, Think you never heard about the word ‘unipolar world’, that devised by WEF, a world in where is one world government, that was their plan, but it all now will remain a dream, the western hegemony will not last, superpowers outside of the west those that together are larger than the G7 they will determine the world politically.