Hungary has summoned Ukraine’s ambassador to Budapest after the death of József Sebestyén, a 45-year-old ethnic Hungarian man from Transcarpathia, who was allegedly beaten by Ukrainian recruiters during a forced conscription attempt.
According to family members and local sources cited by Mandiner, Sebestyén was ambushed by recruiters near the Kossuth Lajos Lyceum in Beregszász after trying to evade capture. Witnesses say he was caught, beaten, and transported to a recruitment center before being conscripted into military service. He was allegedly beaten again with iron rods in Munkács, then sent to a training camp, where he collapsed.
A disturbing video later surfaced showing Sebestyén crawling in a military camp, visibly injured, as others mocked him. He was later hospitalized and died after reportedly being transferred to a mental hospital used for wounded soldiers.
“The lizard is crawling,” one officer could be heard saying on the video.
The cause of death is disputed, with some suggesting internal injuries from the beatings may have been involved.
“My brother, who loved and cared for his family and sacrificed his life for them, fought for exactly three weeks with the satanic forces attacking him with iron rods,” Sebestyén’s brother wrote on social media.
His death has sparked outrage in Hungary and among the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia. Family members say they were misled about his condition and only learned of his death on July 6.
Hungarian neurosurgeon András Csókay confirmed that the family had reached out weeks ago about the case. State Secretary Levente Magyar called the incident “outrageous and unacceptable,” adding, “It is outrageous to beat someone to death — especially a Hungarian — because he did not want to go to war.”
⬛️ A Hungarian man in Transcarpathia was beaten to death in Transcarpathia during forced conscription by Ukrainian officers after refusing to fight in the war. He was captured, assaulted with an iron rod, shoved into a van, and taken to a recruitment center. He later died from…
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) July 10, 2025Magyar announced that Hungary has summoned Ukraine’s ambassador, stating, “A Hungarian man was killed in Ukraine just because he did not want to take part in the war.” He extended condolences to the family and vowed support.
Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács also condemned the incident, describing it as “brutal” and confirming Hungary’s diplomatic action. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán offered his condolences to the family of the man “who died as a result of forced conscription in Ukraine.”
