Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry demands its consul visit prisoners of war handed over by Russia to Hungary

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, made the statement.

"All attempts by Ukrainian diplomats in recent days to establish direct contact with Ukrainian citizens have failed. This, as well as the information received from the families of some of them, indicates that the assurances of the Hungarian authorities about the allegedly free status of Ukrainian defenders in Hungary are not true," the diplomat said.

He emphasized that Ukrainians are being held in isolation, and the Hungarian authorities are ignoring all attempts at constructive dialogue with the Ukrainian embassy.

According to Nikolenko, such actions by Budapest can be qualified as a violation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has once again appealed to the Hungarian side to immediately allow the Ukrainian consul to visit the Ukrainian prisoners of war so that he could assess their physical and psychological condition, inform them of their rights, and provide urgent consular assistance," Nikolenko emphasized and reminded that the Ukrainians have families waiting for them at home.

Information regarding the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary

On June 9, the Russian Orthodox Church announced the transfer of a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary. Ukrainian intelligence said it had no knowledge of this. International organizations, including the Red Cross, also had no relevant information.

Later, Hungary confirmed the transfer of 11 prisoners of war, noting that it was a "gesture of goodwill" on the part of the Russian Orthodox Church. In turn, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chargé d'Affaires of Hungary to provide explanations.

On June 16, Ukraine’s Commissioner for Missing Persons Kotenko said that Ukraine had established the whereabouts of 11 prisoners of war.