European Commission Calls for Explanation from Budapest on Ukrainian Prisoner Transfer

The European Commission has called on Budapest to clarify its involvement in the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia. The EU’s foreign policy spokesperson, Peter Stano, stated that the situation appeared to have been uncoordinated with Ukraine, adding that “this should not have happened.”

Secret Transfer

Eleven Ukrainian prisoners of war were reportedly sent from Russia to Hungary on 9 June, in a secret operation which appears to have been carried out amid a wider diplomatic rift between Ukraine and Hungary. Ukrainian authorities have accused Hungary of ignoring requests to establish contact with the prisoners.

Political Stunt

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has described the transfer as a political stunt designed to bolster the standing of Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán. Kuleba claimed that Orbán wished to show Hungarians both in Hungary and elsewhere that he was their only defender. Hungary’s chief spokesperson, Zoltán Kovács, has accused Kuleba of making false statements, and insisted that the Hungarian government was not involved in the transfer.

The Russian Orthodox Church and the Order of Malta

Kovács also stated that the transfer had been coordinated between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta. However, this appears to contradict his earlier statement that the transfer had been carried out at the request of Hungary and coordinated by Hungary’s deputy prime minister, Zsolt Semjén. Three of the 11 prisoners have since been released and returned to Ukraine.

The Zakarpattia Oblast

The prisoners are reportedly from the Zakarpattia Oblast, which is home to around 150,000 ethnic Hungarians. Orbán has vetoed EU sanctions on Russian church leaders and the country’s nuclear, gas, and oil industries, while also blocking Sweden’s entry into NATO.