Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the release of seven Ukrainian citizens who had been detained in Budapest. The individuals have successfully crossed back into Ukraine, receiving necessary assistance from consular officials.
Sybiha detailed that support for the release came from the Ukrainian Embassy in Hungary, law enforcement agencies, and various state institutions, including state banks.
Andrii Pyshny, head of the National Bank of Ukraine, confirmed that the bank’s cash transporters are now safely back in Ukraine. He emphasized that the initial phase of the operation has been successfully completed, ensuring the safety of the Ukrainian citizens.
Pyshny also stated that Ukrainian authorities are working diligently to recover the cargo involved in the incident. He expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the detentions, drawing parallels to events in 2014 involving checkpoints controlled by armed groups in Eastern Ukraine, where transporting valuables became perilous.
“Is this the situation we now face in a country that is a member of the European Union? The fact that our personnel were released indicates that there were no legal grounds for their detention by Hungarian authorities; this was a provocation and unlawful action,” Pyshny remarked.
According to statements from Oschadbank, the cash transporters were apprehended by Hungarian law enforcement during a routine service trip. All seven employees are currently receiving support from the bank.
Reports indicate that one of the cash transporters experienced a worsening of a chronic condition due to the stress of the situation and received medical attention at the Ukrainian border.
“Oschadbank continues to collaborate with Ukrainian state authorities and international partners to clarify the circumstances surrounding the unlawful detention of our employees and to recover the cash transport vehicles and the valuables they were carrying. The total value of the assets involved was approximately $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kilograms of bank gold,” the bank stated.
Background on the Detention of Oschadbank Employees in Hungary
On the night of March 6, Minister Sybiha reported that Hungarian authorities had detained seven employees of Oschadbank while they were transporting cash from Austria. The bank confirmed that its employees had gone missing, along with the cash transport vehicles and their contents. GPS data indicated that the vehicles were located in central Budapest, near a building associated with a Hungarian security agency.
The bank clarified that its personnel were transporting cash and valuables in accordance with an international agreement with Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank, following established international transportation regulations and EU customs procedures. The total value of the assets in the detained vehicles was reported to be $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kilograms of gold.
Informed sources indicated that the seized cash transport vehicles are currently held at a secure facility of the local Anti-Terrorism Center.
Later, Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration confirmed the detention of the seven Ukrainians on suspicion of money laundering, asserting that the Hungarian authorities promptly informed the Ukrainian consulate about the initiation of an investigation.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the actions of Hungarian law enforcement as “lawlessness” and advised Ukrainian citizens to refrain from traveling to Hungary due to safety concerns.
Pyshny announced that a team from the National Bank would urgently travel to Budapest to investigate the situation regarding the detention of Oschadbank’s cash transporters.
Seven Ukrainian citizens detained in Budapest have been released and returned to Ukraine, with support from various state institutions. The incident, involving cash transporters from Oschadbank, has raised concerns about the legality of their detention by Hungarian authorities.