Hungary summons Ukraine envoy over 'conscription' death
Ukraine authorities said they "categorically" rejected accusations that the man had been forcibly mobilised and denied he had been beaten.
The case has further strained ties between two neighbours, whose relationship has been marked by mistrust since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine has accused Hungary of siding with Russia in the war and obstructing its bid to join the European Union.
"We are immediately summoning the Ukrainian ambassador to Budapest after Ukrainian recruitment officers beat up a Hungarian man in Transcarpathia during a forced conscription, who later died from his injuries," Hungary's deputy foreign minister Levente Magyar said on Facebook.
"It is outrageous and unacceptable to beat someone to death, especially a Hungarian, just because he did not want to go to war and did not want to take part in senseless killing."
The man, 45-year-old Jozsef Sebesteny, died on Sunday, according to Hungarian pro-government news site Mandiner, which quoted a Facebook post by his sister. The post is no longer publicly available.
The report said that around three weeks before his death, military recruiters stopped Sebesteny in Berehove, a city in Transcarpathia, a western region home to a sizeable ethnic Hungarian community.
Sebesteny was allegedly assaulted with iron bars in a nearby forest, and was only taken to the hospital later from a training centre, Mandiner reported.
AFP could not immediately verify details of the case.
The Ukrainian army said Sebesteny was a Ukrainian citizen who had been "legally mobilised" after he was found fit for military service.
"The conclusion of the forensic medical examination confirms that the cause of death, which occurred on 6 July 2025, was pulmonary embolism, with no signs of bodily injury that could indicate violence," it said.
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