The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported gross violations of Ukrainian citizens’ rights during their detention in Budapest. The ministry emphasized that the actions of the Hungarian side contradict international legal obligations.
This is stated in a press release published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On March 5, Hungarian law enforcement agencies detained seven employees and two vehicles of Oschadbank’s cash collection service on the Budapest ring road, which were transporting valuable cargo from Vienna to Ukraine under an international contract between Raiffeisen Bank International AG and Oschadbank.
It is reported that the cargo was cleared in accordance with international transport rules and applicable European customs procedures. The Hungarian side knew that the collectors were unarmed, but the detention was carried out by the Anti-Terrorist Center using an armored personnel carrier, and its fighters had machine guns and grenade launchers.
After the citizens returned to Ukraine, details of their detention became known. The Foreign Ministry stated that although the Ukrainians had the status of witnesses, they were kept in handcuffs for 28 hours and transported blindfolded.
The detainees’ personal belongings, including mobile phones, were confiscated, and they were not allowed to inform their relatives, the Ukrainian Embassy in Hungary, or their employer of their whereabouts. Most of the confiscated items were not returned.
“When the health of one of the detainees, who is a person with a disability and requires a special diet and regular medication, deteriorated, medical assistance was provided only after he lost consciousness. At the same time, the diabetic was forcibly injected with a drug, after which the citizen’s blood sugar level rose sharply and he developed hypertension, and he had to be taken to hospital,” the statement said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Hungarian law enforcement officers deprived the detained Ukrainians of any support and exerted psychological and physical pressure on them. Ukrainian citizens were not given the opportunity to testify in their native language — they were communicated with in Russian. The detainees were also not allowed to use legal defense and were not allowed to see the consul, despite requests from the Ukrainian Embassy.
“The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry considers such actions by the Hungarian authorities to be unacceptable and inappropriate, as they constitute a cynical violation of a number of provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and the Ukrainian-Hungarian Consular Convention,” the ministry said.
Despite the lack of evidence of the Ukrainians’ involvement in illegal activities and their status as witnesses, on March 6, 2026, at the request of the Hungarian Constitution Protection Office, a decision was made to deport them and ban them from entering the Schengen area for three years.
The Ukrainian side also demands the immediate return of the seized state bank vehicles and the valuables they were transporting. The Foreign Ministry said that such actions could be equated with hostage-taking and theft of property.
The ministry insists on bringing to justice those involved in the detention of Ukrainians, their rough treatment, pressure, denial of access to consular assistance, medicines, and communication, as well as the theft of Oschadbank’s property.