No escape: Hungarian soldier killed by Russian FPV drone

Zoltán Sima, a conscripted Hungarian soldier from Transcarpathia, was defending a military position near Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region when he was killed by a Russian FPV drone. Experts estimate that low-cost drones, costing only a few dollars, have caused as much as 70-80% of the losses in the tragic war between Russia and Ukraine. The heroic Hungarian soldier’s funeral will take place this afternoon with full military honours.

Another Hungarian hero fallen for the freedom of Ukraine

The Csap City Council reported the sad news that Zoltán Sima from Tiszasalamon (Szolomonovo in Ukrainian) died heroically on the Russian front in an FPV drone attack. He was defending a position near Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, when the attack occurred.

According to the council, the incident happened on 13 October, with the funeral set for today at 1:45 PM. His body was laid out at his family home, and a military funeral procession will escort him to the local cemetery. Residents were urged to participate in a live corridor to express their condolences to the soldier’s family.

The local Hungarian news outet KárpátHír reports that over seventy soldiers of Hungarian nationality or heritage have fallen defending Ukraine since the outbreak of war in 2014.

Hundreds of Hungarian fighting against the Russians – just like in October 1956

On 25 October, Kárpátinfó announced the death of Attila Orosz from Viski in a military hospital near the front. He was only 50 years old. Earlier in August, Zsolt Leco from Kincsesomok also fell in battle and is mourned by his son and widow. He was conscripted two years ago.

• War in Ukraine: Tragic death of Hungarian from Transcarpathia

In August, Magyar Hang cited data from the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest showing that 520-530 soldiers of Hungarian descent or nationality served on the Russian front, including contracted, conscripted, and volunteer soldiers. The highest-ranking was Robert Brovgyi (or Brovdi, callsign Magyar), commander of the Ukrainian drone forces and a Ukrainian national hero. The embassy also confirmed that Transcarpathia’s first military casualty of the conflict since 2014, and the first local hero killed in the 2022 Russian invasion, were Hungarian.

However, “Hungarians are underrepresented in the Ukrainian army relative to their population proportion,” said Russia expert Dorka Takácsy to Magyar Hang in August.

Transcarpathian Hungarian murdered by Ukrainian military recruiters?

A controversy erupted in summer over the death of another conscripted Hungarian soldier, József Sebestyén. The Hungarian government and allied voices claimed he was brutally murdered for deserting after mobilisation.

The Ukrainian ombudsman’s office concluded, however, that Sebestyén’s death was due to illness at the Berehove hospital on 5 July, not abuse. Ukrainian authorities confirmed he was mobilised lawfully while territorial investigators and military police continue investigating the circumstances. A local Hungarian nurse testified no signs of abuse were found on his body.

Following this case, Ukrainian authorities ordered that recruiting officers work only with body cameras in the future.

• PM Orbán: Supporting Ukraine means supporting the war and tax hikes

Featured image: illustration