Hungarian authorities detained seven Ukrainian citizens who work for the cash collection service of Oschadbank. The employees transported cash and valuables between Austria and Ukraine. Their current whereabouts remain unknown. GPS data indicates that the armored vehicles may now stand in central Budapest.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Oschadbank’s press service reported the incident.
Details
Sybiha said Hungarian authorities stopped two armored cash-in-transit vehicles carrying seven employees of the state bank. The team conducted a routine transfer of foreign currency and bank metals between Austria and Ukraine under an international agreement with Raiffeisen Bank International.
The minister said Ukraine considers the incident a hostage-taking and a seizure of money. Kyiv has already sent an official note demanding the immediate release of the detained citizens. Ukraine also plans to ask the European Union to provide a legal assessment of Hungary’s actions.
Oschadbank reported that GPS data places the two armored vehicles in central Budapest near a Hungarian security agency. The bank has lost contact with the employees, and their location remains unknown.
According to the bank, the vehicles carried about $40 million, €35 million, and roughly 9 kilograms of gold. The cargo complied with international transport regulations and EU customs procedures.
Context
The incident occurred amid rising tensions between Kyiv and Budapest over the suspension of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline.
The Druzhba pipeline sustained damage from Russian strikes on infrastructure in the Lviv region. Afterward, Budapest and Bratislava warned they might cut electricity and diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine if Russian oil transit does not resume.
Ukraine proposed an alternative route via the Odessa–Brody pipeline, but the Druzhba issue remains a source of political tension between Kyiv and certain EU countries.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Viktor Orban claimed a supposed “Ukrainian threat” to Hungary’s energy system and ordered troops to guard energy infrastructure facilities.
