Death of a Recruit in Ukraine and Orbán's New Hate Campaign
A recruit of Hungarian origin died in Ukraine under unclear circumstances. This was the pretext for Viktor Orbán to launch yet another campaign against the neighboring country, even using fake video material.
Hungary recently concluded a campaign against Ukraine and its aspirations to join the European Union. The autocratic Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his apparatus portrayed the neighboring country as a mafia state full of criminal and extremely dangerous hordes that would rob, kidnap, and kill Hungarians—writes Danas.
But that was apparently not the bottom of Orbán's propaganda. The Hungarian political leadership took the death of a recruit of Hungarian origin in Ukraine on July 6 as an opportunity to collectively attack the Ukrainian nation and turn Ukraine into some kind of evil empire—even though the circumstances of the man's death remain unexplained. Orbán claims: "A Hungarian citizen was killed in Ukraine." Without evidence, he accuses Ukraine and the European Union of covering up the alleged crime. Orbán wrote in a Facebook post in white letters on a black background: "The truth cannot be silenced."
Hungarian media outlets close to the government published hundreds of highly emotional reports about the recruit's death. The Ukrainian ambassador to Budapest, Sandor Fedir, was summoned for talks—a clear diplomatic sign of the host's anger. Hundreds of people, led by Orbán's chief propagandist Zsolt Bayer, demonstrated in front of the Ukrainian embassy.
Circumstances of the Death Spark Outrage
Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok sent a letter to the parents of the deceased man, stating that he was "completely appalled to hear about the circumstances in which your son lost his life." He added: "Such a thing" must not happen in Europe and is contrary to "all human values."
What actually happened? In Ukraine's Zakarpattia region, home to around 100,000 Hungarians, in the town of Berehove (population 23,000, half of whom are Hungarian), lived 45-year-old József Szebestyén. He owned a guesthouse and, like many other Hungarians in the area, held dual Ukrainian and Hungarian citizenship.
Like most Ukrainian citizens, he was registered as a military conscript after the Russian invasion in February 2022. In mid-June, he was stopped on the street by recruitment officers, mobilized, declared fit for service, and sent for military training. He died on July 6 in a psychiatric hospital in Berehove. That is a fact. Everything else is subject to conflicting interpretations, with no version confirmed.
Video of Unclear Origin
The pro-government portal Mandiner published a report on July 9 claiming that József Szebestyén was severely beaten with an iron rod and died the next day. The report cited a Facebook post by József's sister, Márta. However, this post either does not exist or has been deleted. Márta Szebestyén did not respond to DW's inquiries. Mandiner responded with a statement saying it "will not allow the significance of the topic to be diminished."
After the initial report, Mandiner published a video allegedly showing József Szebestyén after the abuse. It shows him kneeling in a meadow while being questioned by a medic and uniformed individuals. No injuries are visible. After some time, Szebestyén collapses into the grass. Two other videos show him crawling on what appears to be a military training ground, seemingly disoriented and exhausted—but no violence is visible. The source of the footage is unknown. Nevertheless, the videos are shown in government-aligned media and on public broadcaster MTVA as proof of the Ukrainian army's brutality.
Ukrainian Army Denies Abuse
One such broadcast featured footage from a hospital, likely an intensive care unit. Later, it was claimed to show Szebestyén "in the hospital shortly before his death." DW determined that the video had already been posted on Telegram on May 22, 2025, by user Vitaliy Hlohol, who stated it depicted a different person and accused Hungarian media of misusing his material. Viktor Orbán also shared this video on his social media profiles.
It was also found that MTVA's "Hirado" program misused another video from the same channel. Neither the editorial team nor Hungary's media regulatory body responded to inquiries about this.
The Ukrainian army denies any abuse of Szebestyén. According to an official statement, he was brought to a training unit on June 15, 2025, but deserted three days later. On June 24, he reportedly checked into a hospital in Berehove and was transferred to a psychiatric clinic, where he died on July 6 from a pulmonary embolism "with no signs of injuries indicating violence."
"Trianon Trauma" as a Major Theme
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry accuses Hungary of exploiting the Szebestyén case "in a manipulative manner for political purposes." Viktor Orbán not only claims that "Ukraine killed a Hungarian" but also that "such a country must not join the European Union." Thus, this is a continuation of the campaign against Ukraine's EU membership, which, despite massive propaganda, has had limited success.
But this case is different. For many Hungarians, the status of Hungarians in neighboring countries is tied to strong emotions. Orbán's regime has emphasized the so-called "Trianon trauma"—a long-taboo topic referring to Hungary's massive territorial losses after World War I and the millions of Hungarians left outside the nation's borders. This has struck a chord.
Currently, two million Hungarians live outside Hungary in neighboring countries. Many in Hungary are deeply affected by the Szebestyén case. However, it remains uncertain whether this can counter the widespread "Orbán fatigue" in the country.
