Former Ukrainian prisoners speak for the first time about the exchange with Hungary
Kyiv • UNN
11 Ukrainian prisoners of war from Zakarpattia, allegedly of Hungarian origin, were handed over by Russia to Hungary last year, but they claim to be Ukrainians without Hungarian roots or citizenship, and they were pressured by Russia to claim Hungarian citizenship for the exchange.
Last year, Russia handed over 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war from Zakarpattia to Hungary, allegedly because of their Hungarian origin. Two of them told for the first time the conditions under which the prisoners were transferred, DW writes, UNN reports .
Details
The former prisoners are from Zakarpattia. They were among the 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war handed over to Hungary by Russia in June 2023, allegedly because of their Hungarian origin. However, the men have neither Hungarian roots nor Hungarian citizenship. They consider themselves Ukrainians and speak Ukrainian.
Both joined the army in the spring of 2022, after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. They fought in different units in the Luhansk region and were captured by the Russian military in June 2022.
Both men were held in the Sukhodolsk colony, known as a place of detention for Ukrainian prisoners of war in the occupied territory of Luhansk region. The soldiers released from captivity have repeatedly reported torture in this colony. At the time, there were 500 other Ukrainian prisoners of war there.
The prisoners were fed barley and "prison balanda". During almost a year in the colony, he lost ten kilograms, Andriy - almost 30.
Among the 500 prisoners of war were six men from Zakarpattia. They were the ones who were put into the truck in early June 2023, the men say.
Two days later, they realized that they were in Moscow. There they were interrogated by FSB representatives, who informed them that the prisoners would be released, but taken to Hungary rather than Ukraine.
Hungary told Russia that our grandmothers might have been Hungarians, so they are taking their people back
At the same time, according to the men, only one of the 11 Transcarpathians is of Hungarian descent.
But I was told: either you say it the right way - that you are Hungarian, or you don't know if you will be taken back
Context
After the exchange, Hungarian Vice Prime Minister Zsolt Szemien called the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war "a concern for all Hungarian citizens and Hungarians.
At the same time, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that this was done in the political interests of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
"There was one simple goal: Viktor Orban had to show Hungarians, both in Hungary and outside Hungary, that he was their only defender," Kuleba commented.
