On March 5, in Budapest, Hungarian authorities detained Ukrainian citizens, reportedly employees of the Ukrainian state bank Oščadbank, while they were transporting cash and gold from Austria. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Sybiha stated that seven Ukrainians are being held as hostages, with unknown reasons for their detention and unclear communication channels regarding their current status. He emphasized the serious nature of the event as a violation of rights and indicated that they were simply conducting a routine transfer between national banks.

Sybiha condemned the actions of Hungary, labeling them as state terrorism and extortion, suggesting that if Hungary is acting with such 'force,' it resembles that of a criminal gang. He highlighted concerns over the allegations that Hungary seized 80 million from these transfers, framing the situation as a significant international incident that required attention from the broader European community.

Currently, there has been no response from Hungarian authorities regarding the incident, leaving many questions unanswered about the treatment of the detained individuals and the legitimacy of the seizure. Sybiha plans to escalate the issue to the European Union, seeking support and clarification over what he describes as a severe infringement of international banking operations and diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Hungary.