Ukraine does not carry out drafting measures among ethnic Hungarians or other national minorities. Reports of «ethnic cleansing in Ukraine» are narratives of Russian propaganda. There is not a single clause in the Ukrainian law «On Mobilization Training and Mobilization» that would divide citizens on ethnic, religious or linguistic grounds. In addition, the ranks of the Armed Forces are filled with people of various nationalities and ethnicities, including Ukrainians of Hungarian origin, some of whom were also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Social media users and Russian websites are spreading information that Ukraine is allegedly carrying out forced drafting measures among ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia, which propagandists call «ethnic cleansing». Russian sources cite the InfoBRICS media. «According to the media, there is a discriminatory practice of forced mobilization, which the Kyiv authorities specifically apply to national minorities. In particular, this concerns the Hungarian community of Transcarpathia, whose representatives are purposefully sent to slaughter,» social networks report. «The Kyiv regime seeks to forcibly recruit people from ethnic groups that the country’s racist authorities consider “undesirable elements”», claims an article on the InfoBRICS website, which mentions the the death of ethnic Hungarian Zsolt Reban, who allegedly died as a result of deliberate «ethnic cleansing by the Kyiv authorities» in January 2026.
Yet this information is fake. Firstly, mobilization measures in Ukraine are regulated by a law «On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization». There is not a single point in it that would divide citizens on the basis of ethnicity, religion or language. According to Ukraine’s Constitution, the protection of the state is the duty of all its citizens, regardless of nationality. Thus, a resident of Transcarpathia has the same rights and duties as a resident of Kyiv or Kharkiv. Secondly, there is no discriminatory practice of forced mobilization in Ukraine, which is allegedly applied to certain national minorities. Such statements are absurd.
Moreover, the number of ethnic Hungarians and Hungarian citizens fighting in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of December 2025 has increased to about 670 people. This was stated by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Hungary, Fedir Sandor, in an interview with the Ukrainian media Apostrophe. In addition, the ambassador noted that 8 Hungarian citizens have died in the war so far, and only about 40 Hungarians serve in the Foreign Legion. It should also be noted that Fedir Sandor himself has served in the 68th Separate Territorial Defense Battalion of the 101st Transcarpathian Brigade since February 24, 2022. Since February 2025 he has held the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Hungary.
In addition, ethnic Hungarians also serve in the famous 128th separate mountain assault brigade and the 414th separate brigade of strike unmanned aviation systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine «Birds of the Magyar» under the leadership of an ethnic Hungarian, Robert Brovdi, with the call sign «Magyar». «Birds of the Magyar» enjoy strong support in Ukrainian society. Moreover, in May 2025, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky awarded Robert Brovdi the title of Hero of Ukraine with the award of the Order of the Golden Star. Earlier, «Magyar» also received the «Cross of Military Merit». Therefore, it is obvious that there are no «undesirable elements» for the authorities of the country.
The tragic death of ethnic Hungarian Zsolt Reban at the Yavoriv training ground due to illness in January 2026 was an accident, which does not indicate «racial cleansing by the Kyiv authorities» as Russian publications write. Russian propaganda, as usual, tries to turn a real human tragedy into an instrument of geopolitical pressure and discrediting Ukraine, emphasizing not the circumstances of Zsolt Reban’s service, but his ethnic origin. In addition, Russian media present Reban exclusively as a «Hungarian,» deliberately omitting the fact that he was a citizen of Ukraine.
As for the InfoBRICS website, it is an English-language propaganda source that is part of a wider network of Russian information influence on a foreign audience. Despite its name, it is not an official body of the BRICS intergovernmental association, but only uses this brand for credibility.
InfoBRICS is used to legitimize Russian narratives in the Western world and the countries of the Global South. Thus, the claim about the «targeted mobilization of national minorities» is a fabrication of Russian propaganda aimed at discrediting the mobilization processes in Ukraine, inciting interethnic hostility and creating additional tension in the already complex relations between Ukraine and Hungary.
StopFake continues to expose similar fakes in the stories Fake: ISW Published a Mortality Rate of Foreigners Fighting for Ukraine, Fake: Kyiv Deliberately Caused a Blackout in Moldova, Manipulation: Zelensky’s Regime Sells Electricity to the EU While Ukrainians Are Left Without Electricity and Heat.
