Hungary reveals reason for detention of seven Ukrainian collectors of “Oschadbank” (UPD)

“Oschadbank” collectors were detained in Hungary as part of a money laundering case.

This is stated in a press release from the National Tax and Customs Service of Hungary.

The service claims to have notified the Ukrainian consular service about the start of the procedure, but has not received any response. They say that a former general of the Ukrainian special services was responsible for managing the cargo — he is among the detainees.

The department noted that this year alone, more than $900 million, €420 million, and 146 kilograms of gold bars were transported through the territory of Hungary to Ukraine.

For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha says that Ukrainian consuls have still not been granted access to the detainees, and the Hungarian side has not provided any explanations. He demands their immediate release and is preparing further action, including at the EU level.

UPD at 12:00: After the detention of “Oschadbank” collectors in Hungary, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry recommended that Ukrainians refrain from traveling to this country.

The department argued this by "the impossibility of guaranteeing their safety against the backdrop of the arbitrary actions of the Hungarian authorities". The Foreign Ministry also asks to give priority to other transit routes — not through Hungary.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also warned Ukrainian and European businesses about the risk of arbitrary theft of property in Hungary and advised them to take this into account when working in this country.

UPD at 12:20: The Deputy Governor of NBU Oleksiy Shaban and a team from the National Bank went on a business trip to Budapest to clarify the situation, writes Governor of NBU Andriy Pyshnyi.

"In parallel, we are working on appeals to our partners and regulators on this issue, in particular regarding compliance with CIT control procedures in the eurozone and the corresponding actions of the Hungarian side," he added.

• On the night of March 6, “Oschadbank” reported that seven of its collectors had been detained in Hungary. The two collection vehicles contained $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kg of gold. They were traveling on a regular route between Ukraine and Austria.
• European Pravda, citing sources, claimed that Hungary hid the stolen cars of “Oschadbank” on the territory of the Anti-Terrorist Center. This is a security structure subordinate to the Hungarian Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 2025, the same center deported a Ukrainian diplomat who was suspected of espionage.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.