Hungary took seven Oschadbank employees hostage and seized money – Ukrainian foreign minister

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that Hungarian authorities in Budapest had taken seven Ukrainian employees of the state-owned Oschadbank hostage and seized money and valuables.

Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), Oschadbank press service

Quote from Sybiha: "Today in Budapest, Hungarian authorities took seven Ukrainian citizens hostage. The reasons are still unknown, as well as their current well-being, or the possibility of contacting them."

Details: Sybiha said the seven Ukrainians are employees of the state-owned Oschadbank who were travelling in two cash-in-transit vehicles between Austria and Ukraine, transporting money and valuables as part of regular transfers between state banks.

Quote from Sybiha: "In fact, we are talking about Hungary taking hostages and stealing money. 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.

We have already sent an official note demanding an immediate release of our citizens.

We will also address the European Union with the request to provide a clear qualification of Hungary's unlawful actions, hostage-taking, and robbery."

Details: Oschadbank has also issued a statement regarding the abduction of its employees and the amount of money and valuables taken.

Quote from Oschadbank: "According to GPS signal data, the illegally detained Oschadbank vehicles are currently located in central Budapest, near one of Hungary's law enforcement agencies. The location of the vehicles has been confirmed by representatives of the Ukrainian embassy in Hungary and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The whereabouts of the Oschadbank employees remain unknown."

Details: Oschadbank added that the transport of money and valuables had been conducted under an international agreement with Raiffeisen Bank (Austria).

Quote from Oschadbank: "The cargo was registered in accordance with international transport rules and current European customs procedures. The valuables in the seized vehicles amounted to US$40 million, €35 million and 9 kilograms of gold.

Oschadbank demands the immediate release of its employees and property and their return to Ukraine."

Background:

• On 2 March, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that satellite images prove there are no obstacles to the pipeline's operation.
• Commenting on this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said satellite images cannot reveal every detail. He also criticised Orbán and Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico for their selfishness over the Druzhba pipeline situation.
• Zelenskyy said he hopes that "a certain person" in the EU (an allusion to Orbán) will stop blocking a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine, otherwise he might give that person's contact details to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
• Orbán posted videos on social media in which he threatened to use force to make Ukraine restore oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline.

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