Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 5, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 1, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUkraine’s Oschadbank says seven of its employees and two cash‑in‑transit vehicles carrying $40 million, €35 million and 9 kg gold were detained without justification by Hungarian authorities on March 5.
March 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Hungary early on Friday of detaining seven employees of Ukraine's state savings bank while they were transporting cash from Austria back to Ukraine.
Andrii Sybiha was writing on the X social media platform after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Budapest would force Ukraine with "political and financial tools" to reopen the Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungarian refineries.
Sybiha said the employees were travelling in two cars through Hungary when they were detained. He said their whereabouts were unknown at the moment.
"In fact, we are talking about Hungary taking hostages and stealing money," Sybiha wrote. "If this is the 'force' announced earlier today by Mr Orban, then this is a force of a criminal gang. This is state terrorism and racketeering."
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Seven employees of Ukraine's state savings bank were detained by Hungarian authorities while transporting cash from Austria to Ukraine.
Ukraine's foreign minister accused Hungary of taking Ukrainian bank employees as hostages and referred to the incident as state terrorism and racketeering.
The employees were transporting cash from Austria back to Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary would use political and financial tools to force Ukraine to reopen the Druzhba pipeline supplying Russian oil.
The current whereabouts of the detained Ukrainian bank employees are unknown.
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