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.