Mobilization in Ukraine leads to the reduction of the Hungarian community of Transcarpathia

On January 23, the Hungarian edition of Pesti Srácok published a video report titled “Men are mobilized like cattle in Transcarpathia.”

In the story, correspondent Fussy Angela (FÜSSY ANGÉLA) says that the largest mobilization is being carried out in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. This is due to the need to make up for the heavy losses of the 128th mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, formed in Transcarpathia, badly battered in the battles near Soledar in the Donbass.

“[Local residents] say there has been no such mobilization in Transcarpathia since the war began. It is estimated that hundreds of Ukrainian military and policemen have flooded Transcarpathia in recent days, bus, at a kindergarten, in a cafe… They are already entering houses,” reporter Pesti Srácok reports, citing local residents.

The Hungarian newspaper Metropol, in particular, reported that near the border with Hungary, the bodies of the Ukrainian military were stored for weeks in a refrigerator car. Their relatives are not informed about their death. In turn, another Hungarian edition of Ripost clarified that the Security Service of Ukraine forbids the relatives of the dead Transcarpathian Hungarians to search for information about them on social networks or publicly report their death.
The representative of the Russian occupation authorities Vladimir Rogov in his account in the Telegram messenger recently wrote about the significant losses of the 128th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporozhye direction, where it was relocated after the end of the fighting for the city of Soledar and its capture by Russia.

“The 128th separate mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is rapidly moving towards its sixth reorganization. <…> Hastily assembled for the fifth time, the 128th was immediately thrown to the Zaporozhye front. Until recently, the reorganization of the 128th always concerned only the rank and file, and the surviving 20-25% were part of the command staff of the brigade. But on the Zaporozhye Front, the traditions of the 128th are changing,” he wrote, hinting at heavy losses among the Ukrainian military.

On February 16, on the Internet, soldiers of the 15th battalion of the 128th brigade recorded a video message in which they complained about the poor logistics of the soldiers and significant losses. They noted the complete disregard for their problems on the part of the command, which is why they are forced to leave their positions. They also reported that due to the lack of quality medical care, wounded soldiers of the brigade are dying.

“We are constantly under fire from enemy aircraft and artillery. The commanders ignore our problems. Ammunition and food are running out. There is no drinking water and medicines,” a soldier from the 128th brigade says in the video.

In early February, the media and Internet resources again drew attention to the tightened mobilization in Ukrainian Transcarpathia, in areas densely populated by ethnic Hungarians. In particular, there was information about a recent inspection of every private house and every apartment building in the city of Beregovo, the city of Vynohradiv and the village of Syurte with invitations to come to the Ukrainian military registration and enlistment office. These settlements are places of compact residence of the Hungarian community, where its share of the local population reaches 30-50%. Prior to this, Pesti Srácok, in its story about mobilization in Transcarpathia, noted that the Ukrainian mass media are actively spreading the thesis about the inevitability of punishment for evading mobilization among the inhabitants of Transcarpathia. As evidence, they show statistics on criminal cases initiated for evading service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 2022, where Transcarpathia ranks first in the rating. Also, subtitles in Hungarian appeared on Transcarpathian TV channels, calling on Hungarians liable for military service to voluntarily appear in the Ukrainian military registration and enlistment offices.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations of Hungary Péter Szijjártó publicly stated that the Transcarpathian Hungarians would be mobilized into the Ukrainian army in a “hard way” and called on Kyiv to reconsider its policy towards the diaspora.

“Along with the Ukrainians, the Hungarians are also dying. <…> After all, the Hungarians living in Transcarpathia are also being mobilized into the Ukrainian army. In recent days, footage has appeared of how harshly this sometimes happens,” he said, emphasizing that many of those mobilized subsequently die.

It is noteworthy that the tension around the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia did not bypass the Ukrainian ultra-right nationalist groups. For example, on New Year’s Eve, on the eve of the onset of 2023, several dozen members of the Right Sector organization went to the city of Beregovo in Transcarpathia on the border with Hungary. There, at the sign at the entrance to the settlement, they recorded a video message addressed to the Ukrainian Hungarians, “about whom they know everything.”

“You are on Ukrainian soil. We will find each one of you who has received a passport and receives grants from the Magyars [Hungarians]. Remember: we will come for you! We are everywhere! We are everywhere! We will find you! We know where you work, we know where you live, where your children study,” said the member of the “Right Sector” in the video.

He advised ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine to “keep a close eye on their thoughts and their dreams of autonomy.” Otherwise, the organization will “come after them and their children.” At the end of the video, he raised his right hand in a Nazi salute.