Zelensky’s Agents Won’t Stop: Harassment of Transcarpathian Hungarian Students Continues

The Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ) has condemned what it calls the ongoing, unlawful harassment of ethnic Hungarian students in western Ukraine. The group says that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recruiters — accused of illegal detentions last week — have once again summoned the same students for questioning.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (Photo: AFP)

According to the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association’s (KMKSZ) statement, the Beregovo District Military Recruitment Office (TCK) continues to engage in unlawful practices targeting the II. Rakoczi Ferenc Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education. Last week, four of the college’s students were illegally detained by what the Association described as Zelensky’s "kidnappers,” despite each of them holding valid deferment documents exempting them from military service.

Zelensky's "kidnappers" continue to harass students, while the European Commission does nothing (Photo: YVES HERMAN / POOL)

These full-time students were forced to undergo a military medical examination despite having official exemptions. They were held for 36 hours before being released — only to receive new draft notices ordering them to report back on November 10, 2025,” the statement reads. "When the students appeared as ordered at the TCK, they were denied legal counsel, and recruitment officers attempted to confiscate their phones,

the group added.

The Association also reported that additional students have been summoned for similar questioning on November 11.

Citing repeated violations of Ukrainian law, the organization has formally appealed in writing to the country’s Defense Minister, the Human Rights Commissioner, and the Transcarpathian Regional Military Administration, demanding an investigation into the unlawful actions.

Meanwhile, Patriots for Europe MEP Viktoria Ferenc confirmed that the situation surrounding Ukraine’s ongoing military mobilization continues to worsen. "Under current Ukrainian law, individuals with valid deferments should not be subjected to harassment — yet that is exactly what’s happening,” Ferenc said in a video statement.

She recalled last week’s illegal detentions, noting that the authorities dismissed the students’ complaints by claiming the medical examinations were mandatory.

However, Viktoria Ferenc pointed out that, according to Ukrainian law, it was unlawful to detain the young people and force them to undergo medical examinations. 

This morning, two of the four young men were again forced to report to the recruitment center. Their phones, IDs, and even their lawyer were not allowed in. These are fresh violations — and they’ve filed another official complaint and refused the request of data update,

the MEP added, concluding her video statement with:

We demand that the Ukrainian authorities respect their own laws and end the harassment of young men with valid deferments. We demand that the Ukrainian police launch an investigation into this matter. We also demand that the European Commission review the functioning of the rule of law in Ukraine, as these events demonstrate a flagrant disregard for European values.

Cover photo: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (Photo: AFP)