Ukraine accuses Hungary of detaining bank staff carrying $82 million in cash and gold

Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary escalated Friday after Kyiv accused Hungarian authorities of detaining seven employees of a Ukrainian state bank who were transporting tens of millions of dollars in cash and gold through the country.

Ukrainian officials say the employees of Oschadbank were traveling from Austria back to Ukraine when their vehicles were stopped in Hungary. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, contact with the group was lost after the detention, and their location is still unclear.

Sybiha sharply criticized Hungary’s actions, accusing the country of effectively seizing both the bank employees and the money they were transporting. Ukraine has sent a diplomatic note demanding their immediate release and said it plans to raise the issue with the European Union.

Hungarian authorities have not publicly responded to the accusations.

Cash and gold shipment

According to the bank, the employees were transporting about $40 million, €35 million, and nine kilograms of gold. The shipment, the bank said, was arranged as part of a financial agreement with Raiffeisen Bank International and had been cleared under international transport and European customs rules.

The bank also said GPS tracking indicated the vehicles were later located near facilities used by Hungarian security services in Budapest.

Hungarian news outlet Telex reported that anti-terrorism units had stopped two armored cash-transport vehicles with Ukrainian license plates on a highway. Officials have not confirmed that report.

Oil pipeline dispute

The incident comes as relations between the two countries have grown increasingly tense over the Druzhba pipeline, which delivers Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.

Both countries are among the few EU members still importing Russian oil under exemptions from sanctions imposed after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Budapest and Bratislava accuse Kyiv of deliberately delaying repairs to the pipeline following damage earlier this year. Ukrainian officials reject that claim, saying the infrastructure was hit during a Russian drone strike and repairs require time.

Threats to halt transit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that Hungary could take additional steps against Ukraine if oil flows are not restored.

Speaking on state radio, Orban said Hungary has already stopped diesel exports to Ukraine and warned that other transit shipments through Hungarian territory could also be halted.

He did not comment on the alleged detention of the bank employees.

The standoff adds another layer of tension between Kyiv and Budapest at a time when Ukraine continues to depend heavily on European partners for financial and logistical support during its war with Russia.

*Source: CNN