Kenneth Glad
The quarrel between Budapest and Kyiv was already spilling across energy, aid and diplomacy. On Friday, it moved onto Hungarian roads in a way that immediately sharpened the standoff. What followed drew in bank staff, security forces and accusations that pushed an already hostile relationship into more dangerous territory.
The latest clash came as Hungary and Ukraine remain locked in a dispute over the Druzhba pipeline, the route that carries Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Reuters and BBC News reports that Budapest has been pressing Kyiv to restore flows, while Ukraine says damage from a Russian strike in January has delayed repairs.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has linked the pipeline issue to broader pressure on Ukraine. Earlier today he said: “We have stopped… diesel exports to Ukraine, we still maintain power exports, and we will stop transit shipments going through Hungary that are important for Ukraine… until we get Ukraine’s approval for the oil shipments.”
Hungary has also set itself apart inside the European Union, repeatedly clashing with other member states over sanctions on Moscow and financial support for Kyiv.
Highway raid
Hours later, the dispute escalated again. According to Reuters, Hungarian tax officials said they opened a criminal case on suspicion of money laundering after stopping two armoured vehicles travelling from Austria toward Ukraine.
Authorities said the convoy was carrying roughly $80 million in cash together with nine kilograms of gold. One of the detainees, they said, was a former Ukrainian intelligence general.
BBC News also reported that Hungarian counter-terrorism officers were involved in the operation, after earlier reporting by Telex.
Oschadbank, Ukraine’s state savings bank, said the shipment was routine and moved under an agreement with Raiffeisen Bank in Austria. The bank said the transfer followed European customs and transport rules, and that GPS data placed the vehicles in Budapest.
Kyiv reacts
The raid stunned Ukrainian officials. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the seven detainees were Oschadbank employees and that Hungarian authorities had not given consular staff access to them, writes Digi24.
“We are talking about Hungary taking hostages and stealing money,” Sybiha wrote. He also called the episode “state terrorism and racketeering”.
Hungarian officials have released few details about where the detainees are being held. The episode now leaves Budapest and Kyiv facing a deeper rupture, with the convoy case becoming the newest flashpoint in a broader political fight.
Sources: Reuters, BBC News, Digi24
