US EditionHungary Accused of Taking Ukrainian Bank Staff Hostage After Orbán Threatened by Zelenskyy
Seven employees of Ukraine's Oschadbank were detained in Budapest with $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kg of gold amid a dispute over the Druzhba pipeline oil deliveries.
- On March 5, 2026, Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration detained seven State Savings Bank of Ukraine employees in Budapest and seized two vehicles carrying US$40 million, 35 million euros, and 9 kg of gold.
- The dispute began with damage to the Druzhba pipeline on Jan 27, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has blocked EU sanctions and a 90 billion euro EU-backed loan.
- Hungary's tax authority, working with counter-terrorism units, announced it opened criminal proceedings on suspicion of money laundering, while Raiffeisen Bank Austria declined to comment.
- Following the detentions, Sybiha wrote `This is state terrorism and racketeering` and said Kyiv has sent an official note to the EU while advising citizens against travel to Hungary.
- Analysts say the episode risks weakening EU unity and aid to Kyiv amid Orbán's April 12 election campaign, as Hungary blocks the 90 billion euro EU loan and sanctions over the pipeline dispute.
185 Articles
185 Articles
Kiev and Budapest have been in the clinch for weeks because of an oil pipeline. Now, a money transporter affair is fueling the conflict, which is also shaping the Hungarian election campaign.
Hungary will “demand answers from Ukraine's leadership” about “who is behind the money” and gold bars that were seized in Sberbank's collector cars.
The dispute between Ukraine and Hungary over the supply of Russian oil has intensified further.
In Budapest, Hungarian authorities arrested seven Ukrainians who accompanied an extensive transport of money and gold. Kiev accuses the Hungarian side of "state terrorism" and hostage-taking.
"We hope that only one person in the EU will not block the 90 billion. Otherwise, we will give that person's address to our armed forces," said the Ukrainian President, referring to the Hungarian Prime Minister who is blocking the €90 billion loan that Brussels wants to make to Kiev.
Hungary's $82 million bank transit swoop deepens spat with Ukraine
BUDAPEST/KYIV, March 6 (Reuters) - Hungary said on Friday it had detained seven Ukrainians carrying around $82 million in cash and gold on suspicion of money laundering, as Kyiv accused Budapest of taking bank employees hostage amid a dispute over oil shipments. Read full story
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