Hungary Urges EU Sanctions on Ukrainian Military Officials Over Conscription Abuses

Ukrainian agents force a man to enlist in the army, 2024. X/ @EmbassyofRussia


July 16, 2025 Hour: 2:44 pm

A manhunt is unfolding on Ukraine’s streets, with beatings and torture targeting those unwilling to join the military.

On Wednesday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that his country has formally proposed that the European Union place three senior Ukrainian military officials on its sanctions list in response to alleged abuses linked to violent conscription practices.

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“A brutal manhunt is unfolding on Ukraine’s streets, with systemic beatings and torture targeting those unwilling to join the military. A Hungarian man died after being beaten during a forced conscription. Today we initiated to place those responsible on the EU sanctions list,” he said.

According to Szijjarto, the officials in question are responsible for overseeing conscription operations within Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and armed forces.

The Hungarian government’s move follows the reported death of an ethnic Hungarian man, identified as Jozsef S., during a conscription incident in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region in early July.

The text reads, “Hungary denounces forced mobilization in Ukraine. Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto harshly criticized the European Union for ignoring reports of forced and violent recruitment in Ukraine. He said it was shocking and disappointing to see the silence of NGOs and European leaders in the face of videos showing men being forcibly taken by officers from recruitment centers. PM Viktor Orban also reacted: ‘A country acting like this cannot join the European Union.” He asserted that the scandal has not received public attention because it is irrelevant. ‘If this happened in another country, the world would be shocked,’ he added.

Szijjarto cited a recent Council of Europe human rights report as confirmation of what he described as “a manhunt taking place on the streets of Ukraine,” claiming that individuals refusing to enlist have been beaten or tortured.

“The way Ukrainian forced conscription units treat people is shocking, and equally shocking is how European political leaders look the other way in the face of this unacceptable situation,” he said.

The Hungarian government summoned Ukraine’s ambassador in Budapest last week following the reported death of the ethnic Hungarian man.

According to a separate statement by Levente Magyar, parliamentary state secretary at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the man was allegedly captured during a forced conscription operation, beaten with a metal rod, and later died from his injuries. Szijjarto said that numerous videos documenting such incidents have surfaced in recent months.

Hungarian officials, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have expressed condolences to the victim’s family. Hungary has consistently opposed the launch of EU accession talks with Ukraine, citing concerns over minority rights and the treatment of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia. 

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Xinhua