Hungary threatened Ukrainian prisoners of war – Radio Liberty

In Hungary, Ukrainian defenders who were handed over from Russia were threatened with punishment and encouraged to accept Hungarian citizenship. Kyiv Independent and Radio Liberty journalists learned about this unofficially.

Prisoners of war were convinced that they would face an immediate return to the front or a trial for “desertion” in Ukraine, so they should not return. According to journalists’ sources in diplomatic circles, defenders were also encouraged to accept Hungarian citizenship.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the information. Oleh Nikolenko, the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, stated that the prisoners of war “were subjected to psychological pressure, and they received distorted information.”

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not say whether those who put pressure on Ukrainian prisoners and resorted to manipulations were direct representatives of the Hungarian authorities.

In June, Russia handed over 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary without Kyiv’s knowledge. In addition, Budapest did not grant Ukrainian diplomats access to Ukrainian citizens. Six defenders are “still on the territory of the EU, probably in Hungary,” and the remaining five have returned to Ukraine.

Earlier, it was reported that Hungary spreads Russian propaganda about the “failed” counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The military’s Offensive operations did not bring significant results, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the administration of the Hungarian Prime Minister, said.