Video: Former Hungarian politician fled Ukraine by smashing through the border barrier
A former Hungarian politician from Ukraine, now working as a lawyer, made a dramatic escape to Hungary by smashing through the border barrier and knocking down a border guard. Reports reveal he was mobilised and had been serving in the Ukrainian army since 23rd June. Although it remains unclear what awaits him in Hungary, he likely holds Hungarian citizenship, which partly motivated his decision to flee.
He broke through the border barrier and knocked down a guard
A blogger named Vitalij Glagola shared the story and posted details along with a video on his Telegram channel, showing this extraordinary border crossing. Eduárd Volodimirovics Pukánics, born in the border town of Nagybakta, joined the Ukrainian armed forces as a lawyer on 23rd June after being mobilised. After a few months, he decided it was better to continue his life in Hungary.
He used his Toyota Avensis to crash through the barrier gate at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border crossing in Nagybakta at high speed. Following this, he ran over a border guard—currently hospitalised but reportedly without any broken bones—and finally broke through the exit barrier to enter Hungarian territory.
According to Glagola, Pukánics was born in 1987 and served in military unit A3211 (the 355th Training Mechanised Regiment) since 23rd June. For reasons unknown, after a few months he chose to no longer continue his service. Ukrainian authorities are reportedly investigating the circumstances, as stated by KárpátHír.
A former politician of Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk’s party
In his Telegram post, Glagola criticised Oleksandr Oszipets, the commander of the border guard in Mukachevo, describing him as controversial. According to Glagola, this was neither the first, second, nor the last such incident.
Previously, Pukánics served as a representative of the Front for Change party, led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who was twice elected Prime Minister. He sat on the Beregszász city council and was a committee chair as well as a major rival of István Gajdos, then mayor and member of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Ukraine (UMDSZ).
As previously reported by Magyar Hang, more than 520 soldiers of Hungarian descent currently serve in the Ukrainian army, including volunteers, conscripts, and contract soldiers, according to information from the Ukrainian embassy.
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