(KYIV, UKRAINE) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is demanding the return of funds detained by Hungary and is preparing specific legal actions to bring those responsible to justice. Officials are demanding the return of 40 million United States Dollars, 35 million Euros (approximately 38.15 million United States Dollars) and nine kilograms of gold.
Georgiy Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on the social network X that Ukraine is awaiting the return of the stolen funds. According to Tykhyi, a guilty conscience needs no accuser, and the ministry will demand justice and accountability. Oschadbank reported the unfounded detention of two armoured cash in transit vehicles and the disappearance of seven employees in Hungary on March 5.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha, demands the immediate return of the assets and a reaction from the European Union. The National Bank of Ukraine is working on the return of the cargo from the armoured vehicles detained by Hungary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a strong statement regarding gross violations of international law by Hungarian law enforcement agencies, which detained the employees of the joint stock company Oschadbank. The diplomatic department emphasised the unacceptability of the actions by official Budapest, which resemble hostage taking and the abduction of state property.
The incident occurred on March 5 2026 on the Budapest ring road, where the Hungarian Counter Terrorism Centre used an armoured personnel carrier, machine guns and grenade launchers to block the two Oschadbank cash in transit vehicles. Despite the fact that the Ukrainians were legally transporting valuables from Vienna in fulfilment of an international contract with Raiffeisen Bank International and were unarmed, the detention was carried out as a special operation against dangerous criminals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasises that the cargo was cleared in accordance with all European customs procedures, but the property of the bank has not yet been returned. The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Hungarian side knew that the collectors were unarmed, while the detention of Ukrainian citizens was carried out by the Hungarian Counter Terrorism Centre. An armoured personnel carrier was involved in the detention, and the fighters of the Counter Terrorism Centre who carried out the detention were armed with machine guns and grenade launchers.
After the citizens returned home, facts of inhumane treatment became known, which directly violate the European Convention on Human Rights. Prosecutors and human rights activists recorded several concerning facts. Despite their status as witnesses, the Ukrainians were held in handcuffs for 28 hours and transported blindfolded. The detainees had their mobile phones and personal belongings confiscated, depriving them of contact with the embassy, their employer and relatives. The Centre for Strategic Communications noted that Russia uses the incident with the collectors in Hungary against Ukraine. One of the detainees, who has a disability and suffers from diabetes, was given help only after losing consciousness and was forcibly injected with an unknown drug that caused hypertension. Communication with the Ukrainian citizens was fundamentally conducted in Russian, and access to a professional interpreter or a lawyer was blocked.
The Hungarian side hindered the work of Ukrainian diplomats throughout the detention of the collectors. The embassy received false information about the whereabouts of its compatriots, and the consul was systematically denied a meeting. The Ukrainian ministry emphasised that despite official requests from the Embassy of Ukraine for the consul to be allowed to see their compatriots and the requests of the detainees themselves, the Hungarian law enforcement officers made it impossible to hold such a meeting.
Instead of recognising the groundlessness of the detention, on March 6 the Hungarian authorities decided to deport the collectors with a three year ban on entering the Schengen area. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers this revenge for refusing to provide testimony needed for the investigation. The Ukrainian side demands the immediate return of the stolen vehicles and valuables, as well as bringing to justice all Hungarian officials responsible for the abuse.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls for a decisive reaction at the European Union level, calling the actions of Hungary cynical arbitrariness. Ukraine is preparing lawsuits to international courts to achieve justice and compensation for damages caused to the state bank and its employees. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summarised that the Ukrainian side will seek justice by all available national and international legal means. Sybiha confirmed that Ukraine freed the seven citizens held in Budapest on March 6.
