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Ukraine accused Hungary connected Friday (March 6, 2026) of "taking hostage" 7 employees of its authorities savings slope who were carrying astir $82 cardinal successful cash and gold, arsenic Budapest vowed to halt transit shipments to the war-torn state amid an lipid dispute.
Kyiv and Budapest are locked successful an progressively bitter enactment implicit an outage of the Druzhba pipeline which supplies Russian lipid to Hungary and Slovakia. They are the lone EU countries inactive importing Russian lipid owed to EU sanctions.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the employees of Oschadbank had been transporting currency from Austria backmost to Ukraine via Hungary erstwhile they were detained. He said their whereabouts were presently unknown.
"In fact, we are talking astir Hungary taking hostages and stealing money," Mr. Sybiha wrote connected X. "This is authorities coercion and racketeering."
He said Ukraine had sent an authoritative enactment demanding the contiguous merchandise of its citizens and would ask the European Union to "provide a wide qualification of Hungary’s unlawful actions".
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry, constabulary and a authorities spokesperson did not instantly respond to requests for comments.
Separately, the Telex news tract reported connected Friday (March 6) that Hungary's anti-terrorism forces had raided 2 cash-in-transit vehicles with Ukrainian licence plates connected a highway. There was nary contiguous authoritative confirmation of the report.
Orban vows much unit connected Kyiv
Hungary and Slovakia impeach Ukraine of deliberately delaying the resumption of lipid flows via the damaged Druzhba pipeline for governmental reasons. Kyiv denies the charge, saying it needs clip to repair the harm caused to vigor infrastructure by a Russian drone onslaught connected January 27.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces a superior situation to his 16-year regularisation successful an predetermination connected April 12, has vetoed caller European Union sanctions connected Moscow arsenic good arsenic a immense EU indebtedness for Ukraine implicit the lipid dispute.
Mr. Orban again accused Kyiv connected Friday (March 6) of blackmail and said Hungary would usage each means astatine its disposal until lipid flows resume.
"We person stopped... diesel exports to Ukraine, we inactive support powerfulness exports, and we volition halt transit shipments going done Hungary that are important for Ukraine... until we get Ukraine's support for the lipid shipments," Mr. Orban told authorities radio. He did not refer to the detention of the slope employees.
GPS signal
The Ukrainian savings slope said its employees had been carrying $40 million, 35 cardinal euros and 9 kg of gold. It said a GPS awesome showed their vehicles were present adjacent a building of Hungary's information services successful Budapest.
"The proscription of funds and valuables was carried retired by Oschadbank wrong the model of and successful accordance with an planetary agreement with Raiffeisen Bank, Austria," Oschadbank said successful a statement.
"The cargo was cleared successful accordance with planetary proscription rules and applicable European customs procedures."
Raiffeisen International, erstwhile contacted by Reuters, declined to remark connected the matter, citing banking secrecy rules.
