Hungarian authorities take seven Ukrainian citizens hostage – Sybiha

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"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," Sybiha said.

According to him, the seven Ukrainians are employees of Oschadbank. They were driving two armored bank vehicles traveling in transit between Austria and Ukraine and transporting cash as part of routine service operations between state banks.

In fact, he said, Hungary has taken hostages and stolen the money.

"If this is the 'force' announced earlier today by Mr Orban, then this is a force of a criminal gang. This is state terrorism and racketeering," Sybiha emphasized.

Ukraine has already sent an official note demanding the immediate release of its citizens.

"We will also address the European Union with the request to provide a clear qualification of Hungary's unlawful actions, hostage-taking, and robbery," he added.

Oschadbank confirmed that on March 5 two of its cash-in-transit vehicles, accompanied by seven members of an armored transport team, "were unlawfully detained in Hungary while carrying out a routine transport of foreign currency and banking metals between Raiffeisen Bank Austria and Oschadbank Ukraine."

"According to GPS data, the unlawfully detained Oschadbank vehicles are currently located in the center of Budapest near one of Hungary's law enforcement agencies. The location of the vehicles has been confirmed by representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine in Hungary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine," the statement said.

At the same time, the whereabouts of the bank employees remain unknown.

Oschadbank emphasized that the cargo had been documented in accordance with international transportation rules and European customs procedures. "The value of the assets in the seized vehicles amounted to $40 million, EUR 35 million, and 9 kg of gold," the financial institution added.

The bank's management is in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and law enforcement agencies to coordinate further actions.

As Ukrinform reported, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs twice summoned Hungary's chargé d'affaires over the Hungarian side's distortion of Ukraine's position regarding the Druzhba oil pipeline and false accusations against Ukraine.

Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote an open letter to President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for the immediate reopening of the Druzhba oil pipeline.