Two more Ukrainian POWs returned from Hungary – MFA

Ukrainian diplomats have returned two more prisoners of war (POWs) from Hungary, who had been handed over to Budapest by Moscow.

The relevant statement was made by Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry Oleg Nikolenko on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Hence, the Ukrainian side has already managed to bring back five Ukrainian defenders. We are working to ensure that the remaining six warriors also come back home to their relatives as soon as possible,” Nikolenko wrote.

A reminder that, on June 9, 2023, Hungary’s Chargé d'Affaires was invited to the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry for a substantive conversation. The Ukrainian side requested that Hungary provided detailed information about the Ukrainian defenders, who had been handed over to Budapest by Moscow, as well as provided immediate access to them for the Ukrainian consul.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Government of Ukraine was not informed about the relevant negotiations between Hungary and Russia. The Ukrainian side learned that Russia had handed over 11 Ukrainians of Hungarian origin to Budapest from the mass media statements by Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén.