A 21-year-old Hungarian citizen, Benjamin Aser, was killed in Ukraine on May 24 while fighting as a volunteer against Russia, Hungarian news outlet Telex reported on July 11, citing Ukrainian and Hungarian sources as well as Benjamin’s father.
Aser, originally from Hungary, was previously a contracted soldier in the Hungarian Defence Forces. According to Telex, he went missing from his post in March 2023, prompting criminal proceedings. He reportedly told a superior at the time that he intended to go fight in Ukraine.
An undisclosed Ukrainian source told Telex that Aser served in the elite 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. He was reportedly killed while serving with that unit, shortly after his 21st birthday.
The Kyiv Independent has reached out to the 3rd Assault Brigade for comment.
His father, Natan Aser, who now lives in Canada and has received political asylum there, confirmed to Telex that Benjamin is a Hungarian citizen who lived in Canada from 2019 to 2021 before returning to Hungary.
Natan Aser added that his son had autism and “should never have been accepted into the Hungarian army,” though he had long dreamed of becoming a soldier.
“He loved military technology and strategy — he was already drawing tanks at the age of eight,” his father said.
Natan expressed a desire to have his son buried in Kyiv or Toronto, as he cannot return to Hungary and wishes to be able to visit the grave.
He said his son’s commitment to Ukraine was deep and personal: “Benjamin’s heart and soul belonged to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he told Telex, adding that his son had “clearly taken a stand for Ukraine with his actions and decisions” and would never have returned to Hungary.
Hungary’s Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry have not yet responded to Telex’s request for comment.
Thousands of foreign nationals have joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces as volunteers since the beginning of the Russian large-scale invasion, with many killed in combat in the past three and a half years.
Hungary’s government is broadly seen as the most Russian-friendly among EU and NATO members, with its Prime Minister Viktor Orban repeatedly blocking military support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
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