Are Transcarpathian Hungarians taken by force to die against the Russians?
The Russian-Ukrainian war has been going on for 11 months. Masses lost their lives in the clashes. Among the losses, the 128th mountain hunting brigade in Munkács stands out, in which most Transcarpathian Hungarians serve. In the meantime, conscription began in Transcarpathia.
Many Transcarpathian Hungarians have died in the war
One of the morgues near Munkács is already filled with the corpses of soldiers killed on the Eastern Front, but their identification and release is being deliberately slowed down, writes magyarnemzet.hu. It was already a common practice that only five or six deaths were reported a day, while the number of victims was much higher. Among the latest victims are Iván Fejer and Sergeant Ivan Hluhanics. Iván Fejer, who served from the first day of the war, died on 18 January of his serious injuries sustained at Bahmut. He was an Árdánháza soldier, born in 1981. Moreover, Sergeant Ivan Hluhanics, the commander of the anti-tank missile unit of the 128th brigade, lost his life at the front. The 48-year-old soldier from Mércs died on 14 January while performing combat duty.
It should be noted, that these Hungarians are an indigenous minority in the territory of Ukraine, therefore, they count as Ukrainian citizens.
Viktor Traski from Transcarpathia serving in the 128th mountain hunting brigade:
Are Hungarians forced to fight against the Russians?
According to estimates, hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and police have appeared in Transcarpathia in recent days, reports pestisracok.hu. They take a census, hand out invitations, and collect Hungarians on the street, in the market, on the bus, at the kindergarten and in the cafés. More and more videos are appearing on social media sites showing people being dragged from their homes on the street. According to a report, people were collected from a settlement relatively close to the Hungarian border by forcing the man, who was riding a bicycle peacefully, into a bus together with two or three soldiers’ bicycles. In addition, once a police car pulled in front of a man on a bicycle, forcing him to stop, writes Index.
According to another story, those returning home at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border can even receive a military call-up immediately. The border guards handed the summons to the man who was traveling home and then told him that he had one day to pack all the necessary things and report to the recruitment office.
It is not an anti-Hungarian measure
Another source reveals that conscription is not an anti-Hungarian measure. They target everyone, including Gypsies, Ukrainians and Ruthenians. It is not true that there are more raids in Hungarian villages, however, they started earlier than in the mountainous villages. Regarding the 128th brigade, it is exposed to the bloodier battles because it is considered a strong, well-trained brigade, an elite unit – not because Hungarians are in it.
Source: pestisracok.hu, magyarnemzet.hu, index.hu