Mar 6, 2026, 6:47 amMar 6, 2026, 6:47 am
The dispute between Hungary and Ukraine over the transit of oil deliveries from Russia has reached a new level of escalation with an accusation of hostage-taking from Kiev.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha severely criticizes Hungary.Image: keystone
“Today in Budapest, the Hungarian authorities took seven Ukrainian citizens hostage,” wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha on the X platform. The process was criminal, he complained. Those arrested are employees of a state bank. In addition, the Hungarian authorities are said to have confiscated millions of dollars in money and gold bars.
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.
These seven Ukrainians are employees of state-owned Oschadbank, who were operating two banks…
— Andrii Sybiha (@andrii_sybiha) March 5, 2026
According to the Ukrainian account, the Ukrainians, as employees of the state-owned Oschadbank, accompanied money transporters. The GPS devices of the vehicles were located by security forces in the city center of Budapest right next to the building, the bank said. Accordingly, there were 40 million US dollars, 35 million euros and 9 kilograms of gold in the cars. According to Kiev, the valuables were transported from Austria as part of an agreement with Raiffeisenbank and declared accordingly. The basis for the determination is unclear.
Dispute over oil and EU millions
The background to the scandal is the dispute between Hungary and Ukraine over oil deliveries from Russia. Until recently, these also ran through Ukrainian territory via the “Druzhba” pipeline. After the pipeline was damaged as a result of Russian attacks, the government in Budapest, which was about to be elected, called on Kiev to quickly repair it and resume transit. According to the Ukrainian version, a quick repair is not possible, which is met with disbelief in Hungary – and also neighboring Slovakia.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in 2024.Image: keystone
In order to increase the pressure, Hungary has blocked the EU from granting a million-dollar loan to Ukraine, which is vital for the survival of the country attacked by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj then even threatened Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban with his own soldiers. (dab/sda/dpa)