Hungary took Ukrainian bank staff hostage and seized funds
Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Hungary, on Thursday, March 5, took Oschadbank employees hostage and seized money from two bank vehicles. The cars contained millions of dollars and euros, as well as gold, according to Facebook posts by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an official statement from Oschadbank.
What Sybiha said
“Today in Budapest, the Hungarian authorities effectively took seven Ukrainian citizens hostage. The reasons for this are currently unknown, as are their condition or the possibility of contacting them,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
He noted that the seven Ukrainians are employees of Oschadbank. They were operating two bank vehicles in transit between Austria and Ukraine, transporting cash as part of regular servicing between state-owned banks.
“Essentially, this means that Hungary has taken hostages and stolen money. If this is the same ‘strength’ that Mr. Orban spoke about earlier today, then it is the strength of a criminal group. This is state terrorism and racketeering,” the minister stressed.
He added that Ukraine has already sent a note demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainians. In addition, Kyiv will appeal to the EU with a call to give a clear legal assessment of Hungary’s illegal actions — the taking of hostages and the robbery.
What Oschadbank says
The state-owned Oschadbank confirmed Sybiha’s words and reported that, according to GPS signal data, the illegally detained vehicles are currently located in central Budapest, near one of Hungary’s law enforcement agencies. However, the whereabouts of the employees are currently unknown.
“The transportation of funds and valuables was carried out by Oschadbank within the framework and in fulfillment of an international agreement with Raiffeisen Bank, Austria. The cargo was оформлений in accordance with international transport rules and current European customs procedures. The amount of valuables in the seized vehicles was $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kg of gold,” the bank said.
Oschadbank also added that it demands the immediate release of its employees and the return of its property to Ukraine.
Revenge for “Druzhba”?
In February, Andriy Sybiha stated that Russia had struck the Druzhba oil pipeline, after which the transit of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia stopped.
At the end of the month, Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. After that, they disagreed with the claim that Druzhba cannot be restored and began accusing Ukraine of allegedly not wanting to restore transit for political reasons.
Against this backdrop, Hungary and Slovakia want to create an investigative committee and demand that Ukraine grant access to the facility. Orban also again accused Ukraine of allegedly blocking the operation of Druzhba and threatened to restore it by force.
