As we previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the release of two Hungarian prisoners of war from Transcarpathia during talks in Moscow with Peter Szijjártó on Wednesday. The prisoners returned home last night on a special flight from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also visited them in the hospital.
The first official images of the two men appeared on Wednesday night when Foreign Minister Szijjártó welcomed them aboard the flight to Budapest. The visibly relieved but tired men expressed their gratitude to the Hungarian government for their return.
These two soldiers, who held dual Ukrainian-Hungarian citizenship and had been captured during the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, were also visited by Prime Minister Orbán on Thursday.
In a recent video, one of the men is hardly recognizable due to having shaved his beard since yesterday, but they still welcomed the high-ranking visitor with great joy.
„Now you’re safe. No one can take you from here. You won’t be harmed; you are under our protection,” the Hungarian Prime Minister began the conversation after they introduced themselves.
Orbán then inquired about the condition of the freed prisoners.
„I was shot in the knee; the bullet passed through me. But the doctor says I’m recovering nicely,” one of them replied, while it was revealed that the other had suffered frostbite on his fingers at the front, but doctors believe he can also fully recover.
When asked how close they were to the Russian troops at the front, one of them provided a single-word, yet suggestive answer: „Within arm’s reach…”
The Hungarian Prime Minister reassured the freed prisoners again that they were safe, no one could harm them, and they were free individuals who could not be taken anywhere.
“If you need assistance, let me know,” the Prime Minister added.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the circumstances surrounding the release of the prisoners, describing the process as a cynical PR stunt and politicization.
Forrás www.blikk.hu
