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Seven Ukrainian Bank Employees Abducted in Budapest Freed, Kyiv Confirms
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Ukraine secured the release of seven employees of the state-owned Oschadbank who had been detained in Budapest alongside cash and valuables, according to Andrii Sybiha on March 6.
The minister wrote that he had already briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the development.
He added that the seven people were safe and had crossed the Ukrainian border.
The cash and valuables transported in the armored cash-in-transit vehicles would also be returned. The shipment included $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kilograms of gold.
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Sybiha cast Viktor Orbán’s latest demands toward Ukraine as political pressure linked to the detention of seven Ukrainians in Budapest. He wrote that Orbán’s “list of demands” published that morning was “particularly telling.”
Orbán’s office has pushed Ukraine to resume Russian oil transit, stop backing the war financially, stop seeking more EU money, and drop pressure for fast-track EU accession.
Sybiha added: “This is what typically happens after people are taken hostage: demands.”
I have already briefed President @ZelenskyyUa that we were able to secure the release of seven Ukrainian nationals who were held in Budapest.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) March 6, 2026
They are already safe and they have crossed the Ukrainian border. Our consuls have provided necessary assistance.
I thank our team at… pic.twitter.com/74zA9Yin8v
Oschadbank stated that, together with state authorities and international partners, it will continue to clarify the circumstances surrounding the unlawful detention of the cash-in-transit employees.
Earlier today, Hungarian authorities seized two Oschadbank armored vehicles transiting between Austria and Ukraine and seized seven members of the cash-transport team.
The bank said the Raiffeisen-to-Oschadbank transfer was routine and carried about $80 million in cash and around nine kilograms of gold, transported under EU customs procedures and international transit regulations.
