Hungary to expel Ukrainian bank workers in row with Kyiv

Hungary has ordered the immediate expulsion of seven Ukrainian bank employees detained Thursday while transporting $80 million in cash and 9 kilograms of gold through Budapest—a dramatic escalation in Kyiv-Budapest tensions that Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned as "state terrorism." According to Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), authorities intercepted two Ukrainian cash-in-transit vehicles in a joint operation with the TEK counter-terror unit, citing suspected money laundering. NAV confirmed Friday that criminal proceedings are underway, noting one detainee is a "former general of Ukraine’s intelligence service" overseeing shipments totaling over $900 million, €420 million, and 146kg of gold moved through Hungary this year alone.

The detained workers—employees of Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank—were conducting a routine transfer from Austria to Kyiv when Hungarian authorities seized the convoy. Sybiha demanded their "immediate release" in an official diplomatic note after Oschadbank reported GPS data placing the vehicles in Budapest. Yet in a sharp reversal, government spokesman Zoltán Kovács announced late Friday that all seven Ukrainians "will be expelled from Hungary" after NAV verified their identities. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó questioned the legitimacy of moving such vast sums in physical cash, asking, "If this is truly a transaction between banks, why was it not carried out by transfer?"

The crisis deepened hours later when Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—Hungary’s EU-isolated Russia ally—vowed to halt all "transit shipments" vital to Ukraine until Kyiv resolves a dispute over Russian oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline. Orbán avoided mentioning the detainees during his radio address but tied the pipeline standoff directly to the expulsion order. Meanwhile, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski accused Hungary of "stealing the money," amplifying Western concerns as EU officials scramble for clarity. With Hungary’s election campaign entering its final month and Orbán trailing in polls, Kyiv insists Budapest is weaponizing the detention to fuel anti-Ukraine rhetoric.