Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have intensified after Budapest impounded two Ukrainian armored bank vehicles carrying millions of euros in hard cash and gold bars. Seven Ukrainian citizens accompanying the convoy were also arrested. Hungarian officials claimed the detained individuals had intelligence links and suggested the money could be of dubious origin, while Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Budapest of "taking hostages and stealing money."

Sybiha also accused the pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of orchestrating the scandal for political gain ahead of Hungarian elections next month. Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration stated it had opened a money-laundering investigation into the shipment, which it said consisted of $40 million and €35 million in cash, along with 9 kg of gold. The administration noted that one of those arrested was "a former Ukrainian intelligence service general."

Ukraine's state savings bank, Oschadbank, described the transport of cash and gold between Austria and Ukraine as a "routine trip," conducted by land due to air travel restrictions in Ukraine. However, Orbán's political director, Balázs Orbán, cast doubt on the shipment: "Armored vehicles full of cash and gold moving across Hungary is not how legitimate financial transactions usually work," he wrote on X. "The real question is simple: who stands behind this money and what is it meant to finance?"

The seizure follows a dispute over gas supplies, in which Hungary and Slovakia accused Kyiv of deliberately stalling repairs to an oil pipeline after it was damaged in an apparent Russian drone attack. In response, Orbán vetoed further EU sanctions on Russia and an additional €90 billion loan for Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the loan veto on Thursday with comments that sounded like a physical threat to Orbán, causing shock in Budapest.

Ukrainian officials have accused Orbán of initiating the scandal for political advantage before a bitterly contested election next month. Recent polls suggest opposition candidate Péter Magyar is poised for a resounding victory in the upcoming vote, which would end 16 years of Orbán's rule. Orbán has ratcheted up rhetoric on Ukraine, claiming that a Magyar victory could drag Hungary into the war.

Hungarian analysts said Zelenskyy's words played into Orbán's hands and could boost his poll numbers. Robert Laszlo from the Budapest think tank Political Capital stated that Zelenskyy's threats might be enough to trigger the "war psychosis that the Hungarian government has been provoking for months" and shift public sentiment. Zsuzsanna Végh, an analyst at the German Marshall Fund, agreed, noting that Zelenskyy's comments reinforced Orbán's narrative.

Magyar, who had been trying to avoid direct involvement in the Ukraine row, was forced to defend Orbán, apparently concerned about losing ground on the issue. "The Ukrainian president threatened Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. No foreign head of state can threaten a Hungarian or anyone else," Magyar said during a political rally, adding that Zelenskyy could share his address with the Ukrainian military. Magyar called on the European Union to cut all ties with Ukraine until Zelenskyy apologizes for his statement.

Hungarian officials announced on Friday that the seven detained Ukrainians would be expelled from Hungary, but the fate of the seized money and gold remained unclear. A lawyer for the detainees, Lóránt Horváth, told the news site 24.hu that he was trying to locate his clients but had no information on their whereabouts. "I don't really know how to make sense of what is happening here, but it is not a normal procedure," he said.

Source: www.theguardian.com