Overview
- Budapest returned two Oschadbank armored vehicles but kept their cargo of cash and gold under sequestration for up to 60 days as investigators probe alleged money laundering.
- Seven Ukrainian convoy staff were detained and later expelled to Ukraine, prompting Kyiv to issue a travel warning against visiting Hungary.
- Ukraine denounced the move as state banditry and extortion, demanding immediate restitution and preparing legal steps to recover the assets.
- Kyiv alleges the detainees were handcuffed for 28 hours, blindfolded during transport, denied contact with relatives and diplomats, and that a diabetic was forcibly injected before hospitalization.
- The transfer—33 million dollars, 30 million euros, and about 9 kilograms of gold moving by road from Austria—was described by Oschadbank as a routine, fully documented operation, as tensions linked to stalled Druzhba oil transit and Hungary’s EU loan and sanctions veto persist.