Ukraine Says Hungary Seized $80 Million From Armored Cars And Detained 7 Bank Employees

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian authorities person detained 7 Ukrainian citizens and seized 2 armored cars carrying ample amounts of rate crossed Hungary connected suspicion of money laundering, officials said Friday.

Ukraine accused Hungary’s pro-Russian authorities of taking nan Ukrainians hostage and illegally seizing millions of dollars successful cash.

“We will not tolerate this authorities banditism,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote connected X connected Friday. “Everyone who is responsible for taking and holding our citizens hostage will beryllium held accountable.”

The 7 detained Ukrainians were labor of nan Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were walking successful 2 armored cars that were carrying nan money betwixt Austria and Ukraine arsenic portion of regular services betwixt authorities banks, Sybiha said.

The shipment apprehended by Hungary included 40 cardinal U.S. dollars arsenic good arsenic 35 cardinal euros and 19.8 pounds of golden — worthy astir $1.5 cardinal astatine existent prices — according to a abstracted connection by Oschadbank.

Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration confirmed Friday that it had detained nan Ukrainian citizens and seized nan 2 armored cash-transport vehicles. It added it was conducting criminal proceedings connected suspicion of money laundering.

In a later statement, Hungary’s Government Information Center said nan 7 Ukrainians would beryllium expelled from Hungarian territory connected Friday since among them were a erstwhile wide of nan Ukrainian Security Service, a erstwhile awesome of nan Ukrainian Air Force and “individuals pinch subject experience.”

The connection did not item why, if nan Ukrainians were suspected of money laundering, they would beryllium released from custody and expelled.

The incident further inflamed rising tensions betwixt Hungary and Ukraine, which are embroiled successful a bitter feud complete Hungary’s entree to Russian lipid done a pipeline that crosses Ukrainian territory.

Oil shipments done nan Druzhba pipeline person been interrupted since Jan. 27. Ukraine says a Russian drone onslaught damaged nan pipeline’s infrastructure, and that repairing it carried risks to technicians. It said that moreover if restored, it would stay susceptible to further Russian attacks.

Hungary’s government, however, has accused Ukraine of deliberately holding up supplies of Russian crude, and has vowed to return beardown countermeasures against Kyiv until lipid flows resume.

Orbán stakes predetermination connected anti-Ukraine campaign

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has maintained adjacent relations pinch nan Kremlin while escalating an fierce anti-Ukraine run up of important elections adjacent month, has called Ukraine Hungary’s “enemy,” and accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of seeking to provoke an power situation successful bid to sway nan April 12 vote.

“The champion measurement for nan Ukrainians to execute their demands connected Hungary is if they get free of nan nationalist authorities and nan premier curate who is opinionated successful their way,” Orbán said successful statements to authorities power connected Friday.

While he did not straight mention nan detention of nan slope vehicles, Orbán alluded to nan incident, saying: “We will extremity things that are important to Ukraine passing done Hungary until we get nan support of nan Ukrainians for lipid shipments.”

“The Ukrainians will tally retired of money sooner than we will tally retired of oil,” he added.

Trailing successful astir polls down a celebrated center-right challenger, nan populist Orbán has staked nan predetermination connected convincing voters that Ukraine poses an existential threat to Hungary’s security.

In agency since 2010, nan EU’s longest-serving leader has claimed that if he loses nan election, nan European Union will unit Hungary into bankruptcy by cutting Russian power imports, and that Hungarian younker will beryllium sent to their deaths connected nan beforehand lines successful Ukraine.

In his post, Ukraine’s overseas curate formed Orbán’s behaviour arsenic electoral politicking, saying nan detention of nan 7 Ukrainians and seizure of money was “part of Hungary’s blackmail and electoral campaign.”

“We reserve nan correct to return due action, including initiating sanctions and different restrictive measures,” Sybiha wrote. “We erstwhile again request Hungary extremity dragging Ukraine into its home authorities and electoral campaign.”

Hungary clings to Russian oil

Hungary, on pinch neighboring Slovakia, person defied EU efforts to wean disconnected Russian fossil fuels, and continued to acquisition them contempt Moscow’s invasion.

Orbán antecedently ceased diesel shipments to Ukraine, vetoed a caller information of EU sanctions against Russia and blocked a major, $106 cardinal indebtedness for Kyiv successful retaliation for nan interruption successful lipid shipments. He’s besides deployed subject forces to cardinal power infrastructure sites crossed Hungary, accusing Ukraine of plotting disruptions.

On Thursday, Orbán told an economical forum that Hungary would usage “force,” including “political and financial tools,” to compel Ukraine to resume lipid shipments.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry connected Friday urged Ukrainian citizens to abstain from visiting Hungary, saying their information could not beryllium guaranteed amid “arbitrary actions by nan Hungarian authorities.”

The Ministry besides called for Ukrainian and European businesses to return into relationship “the consequence of arbitrary seizure of property” successful Hungary.

Spike writes for nan Associated Press.