Truck breaches Zakarpattia border: 32 Ukrainians detained by Hungarian authorities

Photo: A truck with 32 Ukrainians broke through the border in Zakarpattia region (facebook.com/DPSUkraine)

In the Zakarpattia region, a GAZ-66 truck with black military license plates breached the state border yesterday. Subsequently, Hungarian border guards reported the detention of 32 Ukrainians, and an investigation is currently underway.

More about the incident - in the RBC-Ukraine's article below.

What is known

Local journalist Vitaliy Glagola first reported the border breach in Zakarpattia. He said the incident occurred on June 9 at the Kosyno and Velyka Byihan sections. Cameras recorded the GAZ-66 truck with black military license plate 4736 A1 moving from a field road through a field towards the border. Later, the vehicle was found on the Hungarian side, with all passengers leaving it.

Later, Hungarian police reported the detention of 32 individuals on the outskirts of the village of Barabash.

Glagola also published photos of the truck that breached the border.

Photo: A truck with Ukrainians broke through the state border in Zakarpattia (t.me/VGlagola)

What the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine says

Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU), told RBC-Ukraine that an investigation is ongoing regarding the illegal border crossing by a group of individuals using a vehicle in the Mukachevo sector.

"The movement of the truck, with visible military license plates, towards the border through the field was recorded using technical means of local area control. A response team found tracks of the vehicle towards the neighboring country," Demchenko told the agency.

He said the investigation had not established the vehicle's affiliation with military formations.

He also confirmed that the neighboring side later reported the discovery of the vehicle and the detention of 32 Ukrainian citizens. Additionally, Ukrainian border guards detained several individuals who may be involved in the illegal border crossing. Filtration and verification measures are being conducted with them.

"As we can see, illegal elements do not cease their attempts to move people illegally across the border. Meanwhile, the violators use the services of organized criminal groups, which promise them assistance for significant sums of money," Demchenko added.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, martial law has been introduced in the country, imposing several restrictions, including on the departure of men aged 18 to 60. However, certain categories of individuals are allowed to leave the country under legal grounds. Nonetheless, border guards continue to record attempts at illegal border crossings. Some men attempt to swim across the Tisza River, which often ends in tragic consequences.