Hungary Detains Ukrainian Bank Cash Transports, Escalating Diplomatic Row

Hungarian authorities have detained two cash-in-transit vehicles belonging to Ukraine's state-owned Oschadbank. The armored cars were transporting significant sums of money and bank metals from Austria to Ukraine when they were seized.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has made a serious accusation, stating that Hungarian authorities in Budapest have "taken hostage" seven Ukrainian citizens who are employees of Oschadbank. He added that the money and valuables they were transporting have been stolen.

"Today in Budapest, Hungarian authorities took seven Ukrainian citizens hostage. The reasons, as well as their health condition and the possibility of contacting them, are still unknown," Sybiha wrote on social media platform X.

The minister clarified that the seven individuals are bank staff who were performing a regular transit run between Austria and Ukraine, moving funds and valuables as part of standard inter-bank operations.

Oschadbank itself issued a statement confirming the detention of its employees and vehicles. According to the bank, GPS data shows the illegally detained vehicles are currently in central Budapest, near one of Hungary's security structures. This location has been verified by representatives of the Ukrainian embassy in Hungary and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. However, the whereabouts of the bank employees remain unknown.

This incident occurs against a backdrop of escalating tension between Hungary and Ukraine. On March 2nd, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed satellite images proved there were no obstacles to the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary.

Orbán posted videos on social media threatening to use force to make Ukraine resume oil transit through the pipeline. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that satellites do not show all details and expressed hope that a single individual would stop blocking a 90-billion-euro EU loan package for Ukraine.