Hungary has appealed to Brussels with an initiative to impose sanctions against Ukrainian officials whom it holds responsible for the death of Zakarpattia resident Yosyp Shebeshteny, who held dual citizenship. This was announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on his Facebook page.

Orbán expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and noted that this concerns “a Hungarian who died as a result of forced mobilization in Ukraine.” He emphasized that the Hungarian government seeks for the EU to include Ukrainian officials “responsible for the death of Hungarian citizen Yosyp Shebeshteny” on the sanctions list, though he did not specify exactly who he meant.

According to Hungarian media reports, the 45-year-old man was allegedly beaten by employees of the territorial recruitment center. As reported by the Mandiner.hu resource, the deceased held Hungarian citizenship and “refused a Ukrainian address.” He died in hospital on July 6.

Official Reaction from Ukraine

The Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that Yosyp Shebeshteny was a citizen of Ukraine and was lawfully mobilized on June 14, 2025. After a medical commission deemed him fit for service, the man was sent for training at a military unit.

However, on June 18, he left the unit without authorization and without weapons. On June 24, Shebeshteny sought help at the emergency department of Berehove hospital, where he was diagnosed with an acute stress reaction and referred for treatment to a psychiatric facility in Berehove.

Following this, Ukraine’s ambassador to Budapest, Fedor Shandor, was summoned to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the death of the Zakarpattia resident with Hungarian citizenship, who, according to the Hungarian side, was allegedly beaten by employees of the territorial recruitment center.

“Hungary has initiated in Brussels the imposition of sanctions against Ukrainian officials whom it holds responsible for the death of Zakarpattia resident Yosyp Shebeshteny – a man with dual citizenship.”

– Viktor Orbán