11 Ukrainian prisoners of war were brought to Hungary via the mediation of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian side learned about the transfer of its citizens to a third country from the media, as the government was not informed about the relevant negotiations between the Hungarian and Russian sides. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is demanding that the consul be allowed to visit the prisoners of war who are kept in isolation.

As reported by Atv.hu, Hungarian deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjen stated that 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war were brought to Hungary with assistance of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko said that Kyiv learned about the transfer of 11 Ukrainians of Hungarian origin from the public statements of the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary.

‘The Ukrainian side submitted a request to provide detailed information about our citizens and to immediately ensure access to them for the Ukrainian consul in order to get acquainted with their state of health and provide them with consular assistance’, Nikolenko stated.

Later, in a new statement, Oleh Nikolenko said that Ukraine repeatedly appealed to Budapest regarding the prisoners of war.

All attempts by Ukrainian diplomats to establish direct contact with Ukrainian citizens have been unsuccessful.

‘Attempts by the Ukrainian side to establish a constructive dialogue with the Hungarian authorities through official diplomatic channels are, unfortunately, ignored. Such actions of Budapest put into question the declared humanitarian motives of bringing Ukrainians to Hungary. In addition, they [Hungarian actions] can be qualified as a violation of the provisions of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms’, Nikolenko stressed.