Ukraine accused Hungary of kidnapping and robbery, saying seven employees of the public bank Oschadbank, who were traveling between Austria and Ukraine as they regularly do, were detained in Hungary while carrying $82 million (more than 70 million euros) in cash and gold.
Hungary meanwhile stated that it detained seven Hungarians involved in a money laundering operation.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on social media saying the whereabouts of the seven officials were unknown after they were detained in Hungary. “We are talking about a kidnapping and theft of money”, he accused. “This is state terrorism and extortion.”
Ukraine has officially demanded the immediate release of its citizens and will ask the European Union to “clearly qualify Hungary’s illegal actions.” The European Commission was asked about the case at its daily briefing but the home affairs spokesman said he did not yet have enough information to comment.
According to Oschadbank, the employees were carrying 40 million dollars, 35 million euros and 9 kg of gold. The GPS signal indicated that the two vehicles were near a Hungarian security services building in Budapest.
The bank guaranteed that it complied with European transport rules and customs procedures.
Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács however stated that the seven were detained by tax and customs authorities and that they will now be “expelled from Hungary”, saying that they were on Hungarian soil for a “money laundering operation” that was “supervised by a former general of the Ukrainian security services”.
Ukraine said its police opened “criminal proceedings” into the incident. “The case was registered under articles relating to illegal deprivation of liberty/kidnapping and hostage taking,” announced the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the British daily The Guardian. “Ukrainian police have submitted official requests to Europol, the Hungarian Tax and Customs Service, and the Hungarian Police. The investigation is ongoing.”
This comes at a time when tension between Hungary and Ukraine is increasing, with Viktor Orbán’s government heavily using the theme of war in the election campaign. Recently, an ad using artificial intelligence showed a child asking about his father – who was a soldier and was currently being executed in a horrific war scenario. A “nightmare” that could “become real”, unless people vote for Fidesz, “the safe choice”.
Investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi wrote on the social network
Hungary is currently threatening to block the agreement reached in the European Council for a loan of 90 billion euros to Ukraine and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said yesterday “he hopes that one person in the European Union does not block the 90 million or the first tranche“Otherwise, we will give his address to our Armed Forces, so they can speak to him in his language”, he added.
The opposition leader, Peter Magyar, meanwhile condemned Zelensky’s statements and even asked the Ukrainian President to withdraw them, refusing any threat to any Hungarian from abroad.
And spokesman Olof Gill also criticized Zelensky’s words this Friday, saying that the language used “is not acceptable” and that “there can be no threats against member states of the European Union”.
Several analysts have warned that more dangerous actions can be expected from Orbán and interference from Russia, which has an interest in this continuing. Previously, there have been rumors of an imminent release of a sex tape of candidate Peter Magyar and his ex-girlfriend, who he ended up apparently avoiding by reporting what had happened himself and denouncing the blackmail.
Regarding the case of the arrest of bank security officials, “this is the kind of escalation we expected from Orbán,” Panyi wrote. “It has already started.” Com Reuters
