Ukraine has secured the release of seven Ukrainian citizens who had been detained in Budapest, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
Sybiha wrote on X that he had informed President Volodymyr Zelensky about the release, adding that the seven Ukrainians have now crossed back into Ukraine and are safe.
“We were able to secure the release of seven Ukrainian nationals who were held in Budapest. They are already safe and they have crossed the Ukrainian border. Our consuls have provided necessary assistance,” he wrote on X.
Ukrainian consular officials provided them with the necessary assistance after their release, he wrote, thanking the teams from Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and embassy in Hungary, as well as law enforcement agencies, state institutions, and state banks that helped secure their return.
Oschadbank confirmed this information in a press release sent to reporters. The bank previously said it has located the seven employees detained in Hungary earlier this week, but Ukrainian diplomats, relatives and lawyers have still not been able to contact them.
The employees were detained on March 5 while transporting cash and gold between Austria and Ukraine, part of what Oschadbank describes as a regular banking operation conducted under international agreements.
“Most importantly, our employees have been located. However, the fact that neither their relatives, nor Ukrainian diplomats, nor their employer has been able to establish contact with them is unacceptable,” Oschadbank CEO Yuriy Katsion wrote on Facebook.
Katsion added that the bank would defend the interests of its employees in international courts.
“Oschadbank will defend its interests and the interests of its employees in all international legal venues. Our lawyers are already working in Hungary, and members of the bank’s management are en route to Budapest,” he wrote.
The detained convoy was reportedly carrying $40 million, €35 million ($37.9 million) and 9 kilograms of gold.
Hungarian authorities said the detention was linked to a criminal investigation on suspicion of money laundering.
Ukraine’s central bank said its preliminary review found no irregularities in the cash shipment that Hungarian authorities detained. National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Governor Andriy Pyshnyi wrote on Facebook on Friday evening that regulators had verified the documentation accompanying the cargo and found it complied with customs regulations and the terms of international agreements between the banks.
“Our review confirmed that the cargo was properly documented. The package of accompanying documents complies with the Customs Code, and we have no remarks regarding the contracts,” Pyshnyi wrote.
Pyshny said the NBU had advised banks involved in cross-border cash transport to review their routes and avoid transit through countries where shipments could face disruption. The central bank chief also said Hungarian authorities had not yet provided documented evidence of any legal violations by the Ukrainian citizens involved in the shipment. “We see only public statements by certain officials,” he wrote.
Hungarian media outlet Telex reported that Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary, Sándor Fegyir, arrived at the headquarters of the country’s Counter-Terrorism Center (TEK) on Friday but was not allowed to enter the building. According to the outlet’s reporters on site, the ambassador spoke briefly with a TEK officer outside the facility before remaining in his vehicle near the entrance.
The visit came shortly after Hungary’s Government Information Center announced that the seven Ukrainian citizens involved in the cash transport operation would be expelled from the country.
Telex also reported that a lawyer representing the Ukrainian collectors contacted TEK but was told the agency had no information indicating the detainees were being held at its facility.
Earlier, Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) said in a statement it had opened criminal proceedings on suspicion of money laundering after detaining the Ukrainian citizens and two armored vehicles transporting the cash, Index reported.
Kyiv Post sent requests for comment to Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration, the Counter-Terrorism Center and Budapest Metropolitan Police, but had not received responses by the time of publication.
Austria’s Raiffeisen declines to comment on relationship
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), which Oschadbank says was involved in the transport operation, declined to comment on specific customer relationships when contacted by Kyiv Post.
“Due to the Austrian bank secrecy law, I am not allowed to comment on customer relationships,” RBI corporate spokesman Christoph Danz told Kyiv Post.
However, he said the bank operates a long-standing business involving the distribution of banknotes across Europe.
“RBI has been active in Europe for many years as a broker in banknotes, working closely with various central banks, security authorities, and distributors,” Danz wrote.
He added that the bank maintains regular communication with regulators and provides detailed information about traded volumes, currencies and the regions supplied.
“RBI complies with all applicable regulations concerning money laundering and sanctions and, in many respects, goes beyond these in its internal compliance regulations,” the statement says.
Oschadbank rejects allegations, Ukraine central bank sends delegation to budapest over detained staff
Oschadbank has strongly rejected the accusations, saying the transportation was a routine banking operation conducted in accordance with international regulations. The state-owned bank said it was not given a legal explanation for the actions.
“Oschadbank does not see any legal grounds for the detention of the vehicles and personnel who were carrying out a regular transport,” the bank said in a statement.
The bank said that since Russia’s full-scale invasion closed Ukrainian airspace, foreign currency and banking metals have been transported exclusively by road. Such shipments take place “weekly” using specialized armored vehicles licensed for international transportation, it added.
The bank obtained an international cargo transport license in July 2025 from Ukraine’s State Service for Transport Safety, confirming compliance with European transport and safety regulations, according to the previously published press release.
Oschadbank said the transported assets belong to the state-owned bank and consist of funds entrusted by Ukrainian citizens and businesses to support cash circulation in Ukraine’s financial system.
In a statement on Facebook, the National Bank of Ukraine said two armored vehicles carrying seven Oschadbank employees were detained by Hungarian authorities on March 5 while transporting large volumes of foreign currency and banking metals. The NBU said the shipment was prepared in accordance with international transport rules and European customs procedures.
“We demand that Hungarian authorities immediately release Ukrainian citizens and provide an official explanation for their detention, as well as information about the location of the vehicles and their cargo,” the central bank wrote.
NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi wrote his deputy Oleksiy Shaban would travel to Budapest with a team from the regulator to clarify the situation.
“My deputy Oleksiy Shaban and the bank’s team are urgently departing for a business trip to Budapest to clarify the situation. We are keeping the issue under control,” Pyshnyi wrote on Facebook. He added that Ukraine is also consulting international partners and regulators, including regarding compliance with eurozone Cash-In-Transit (CIT) procedures.
Ukrainian authorities
Earlier on Friday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Hungary had still not granted Ukrainian consular officials access to the detained bank employees.
Speaking at a briefing around 4:30 p.m. Kyiv time, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary and consular staff had been waiting near the location where the Ukrainians were being held for more than 90 minutes, demanding access.
“As of now, apart from public statements, the Hungarian side has taken no real steps regarding consular access or the release of Ukrainian citizens,” Tykhyi is quoted in Ukrinform. He added that Kyiv continues to demand their immediate release and access for consular officials.
The European Commission said earlier in the day it was aware of reports about the detention but had limited information.
“We are aware of media reports on the matter. At this stage we do not have additional information about the events mentioned, so I have no comments at this point,” European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert told European Pravda reporter during a briefing in Brussels at 2:14 p.m. Kyiv time.