Kyiv accuses Hungarian authorities of kidnapping seven employees of Ukraine’s Oschadbank, together with a large amount of cash and gold. A fresh escalation in a bitter diplomatic feud between Orbán and Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Hungary of kidnapping seven employees of a Ukrainian state savings bank alongside a large amount of cash and gold.
According to Ukraine’s Oschadbank, a van carrying personnel and some $75 million dollars was intercepted in central Budapest. The vehicle was transporting cash from Austria to Ukraine. Kyiv says it has lost all contact with the bank’s staff on the van.
The incident signals a dramatic escalation in the troubled relation between the two countries, a day after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traded accusations and implied the use of force if necessary.
“In Budapest, Hungarian authorities took seven Ukrainian citizens hostage,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Sybiha said in a post on X. “In fact, we are talking about Hungary taking hostages and stealing money,” he added.
