The death of 45-year-old ethnic Hungarian József Sebestyén, just weeks after his forcible conscription into the Ukrainian army, has heightened diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Budapest. According to his relatives, Sebestyén—who held both Ukrainian and Hungarian citizenship—was severely beaten with metal rods shortly after being forcibly taken into the army on June 14. He died on July 8 at a psychiatric hospital in the town of Berehove, where he had lived.
The Ukrainian military has denied any involvement in his death, but the Sebestyén case has reignited concerns over forced mobilization amid heavy battlefield losses and mounting discontent on the home front.
"They took me to a forest—there were many other men there. They started beating us," Sebestyén reportedly said, according to the Hungarian outlet Mandiner, citing his family’s account. "They hit me on the head and body. They said if I didn’t sign the papers, I would be sent straight to the front. The pain was so bad I couldn’t move."
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In Budapest, a vigil was held outside the Ukrainian embassy in Sebestyén’s memory, drawing an estimated 500 participants. People brought candles and Hungarian flags; a Ukrainian flag bearing the word "murderers" was draped over the embassy fence. Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén attended the gathering.
On July 10, Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Ukrainian ambassador, Sándor Fegyir. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a vocal critic of the Ukrainian government, posted on Facebook: "A Hungarian citizen was beaten to death on Ukrainian soil—just a few kilometers from the border. A country where this is possible cannot be a member of the EU."
That evening, the Ukrainian military issued a statement asserting that "no physical injuries were found during the medical examination." The military denied any incidents of forced mobilization, abuse, or human rights violations by territorial recruitment centers or other units. Nonetheless, it said it was prepared to conduct a "transparent investigation in accordance with Ukrainian law."
A vigil in memory of the Hungarian man who died after being beaten by recruitment officers was held outside the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest.
Ukraine’s mobilization system has faced criticism for years. Under current law, men aged 25 to 60 are subject to conscription, but most men from the age of 18 are restricted from leaving the country—effectively making them potential candidates for military service. This has created conditions ripe for abuse—by both authorities and intermediaries.
"I increasingly hear from relatives of those taken by the military that their clothes are returned soaked in blood," a resident of Zakarpattia told the BBC. She noted that even medical certificates exempting individuals from service are often ignored. "Soldiers force people into vehicles without explanation. And if you want to be left alone, they demand thousands of dollars—just outrageous sums," she added.
These concerns are compounded by fears of retaliation against journalists and other critics of the authorities. Oleg Dyba, 58, editor-in-chief of Zakarpattya Online, declared a hunger strike while in military detention. He claims his arrest was linked to an investigation into wind turbine construction in the Carpathians, which had angered local officials.
In 2024 alone, the office of Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets received 3,500 complaints regarding human rights violations during mobilization. In the first half of 2025, that number already exceeded 2,000. While a number of investigations led to criminal cases against more than 50 military recruitment officials, human rights advocates say these efforts have had little systemic effect.
These incidents—and the broader climate of coercion and impunity—have drawn international scrutiny. On July 8, 2025, the Council of Europe published its "Memorandum on human rights elements for peace in Ukraine", a report documenting widespread human rights violations under martial law.
The document details numerous cases of arbitrary detention, beatings, and threats by recruitment officers and security personnel. It places special emphasis on complaints about forced mobilization, including cases where people with disabilities were conscripted and instances where government critics and activists were selectively targeted for recruitment. The report notes that, even under martial law, Ukraine is obliged to uphold fundamental human rights—including the prohibition of torture and arbitrary detention.
The Venice Commission—the Council of Europe’s advisory body on human rights and law—also addressed the issue of conscientious objection in March 2025. In its opinion, it stressed that even in wartime, states are required to provide alternatives to military service based on personal convictions, and such service must be clearly separated from the military system and not be punitive in nature.
The case of József Sebestyén is not an isolated incident. Reports of forced conscription, beatings, and arbitrary detentions continue to emerge from various regions of Ukraine. Such incidents rarely receive public attention, are investigated selectively, and rarely result in accountability. Taken together, they point to the urgent need for a systemic review of mobilization procedures and enforcement practices—particularly under ongoing martial law.