Watch Drone Footage of Hungary Building Fence on Croatian Border

Drone footage taken at the Hungarian-Croatian border shows dozens of buses waiting to transport refugees to Austria, as well as clips of Hungarian soldiers beginning to construct a fence designed to keep migrants out of the country.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that the country is constructing a fence along a 41-kilometer (25 mile) portion of the border with Croatia, and that more than 1,200 troops would be working on it over the weekend in order for it to be completed by Friday.

The footage, filmed by the Hungarian photography company Drone Media Studio, shows buses on the Hungarian side of the border, waiting for the refugees who are arriving from Croatia. According to Wired the buses will transfer the new arrivals to rail stations where they can board trains which will take them to the Austrian border.

Later in the footage, a yellow crane is seen laying down what appears to be the beginnings of a fence, with what looks like a military truck parked nearby. Drone videographer Laci Molnar, who shot the footage, told Wired that he saw both military personnel and prisoners heading to the border to build the fence.

Hungary already has a 175-kilometer (110 mile) razor-wire fence along its border with Serbia and has also begun constructing a fence along its border with Romania. Bulgaria. another EU state, is also constructing a fence on its border with Turkey to deal with an influx of refugees.

AP reported on Sunday that refugees arriving at Hungary's border with Croatia were being put on buses and trains in the hope of streamlining their transit to Austria. In contrast, refugees at the Serbia-Hungary border have been fired upon with tear gas and water cannon.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Hungarian news portal index.hu that resisting refugees crossing from Croatia while the fence was not complete would create chaos, according to AP.

On Monday, the Hungarian parliament passed a new law which allows soldiers to shoot rubber bullets at refugees in cases of self-defense.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go