Ukrainian cash collectors have reported harsh treatment by Hungarian law enforcement during their detention in Budapest. According to them, they were held in handcuffs for more than 28 hours and interrogated for over a day.
As reported by RBC-Ukraine, this was stated at a press conference by one of the detained collectors, Hennadii Kuznietsov.
He said the trip to transport money and gold from Austria had been coordinated in advance, and Hungarian customs authorities at the Záhony checkpoint had been notified beforehand. The route had also been agreed in advance.
Kuznietsov said that while driving in Budapest, their vehicles were stopped by law enforcement officers and escorted to a gas station for a document check. After handing over the documents, a forceful detention began.
According to him, armored vehicles from an anti-terrorist unit blocked their cars, and the collectors were ordered out, handcuffed, and had their heads covered with bags or balaclavas.
Each team member was then transported to an anti-terrorism center in Budapest and placed in separate rooms, where they were interrogated for more than 24 hours.
Kuznietsov stated that no investigative procedures were conducted during their detention and that they were not provided with consular assistance or legal support.
He said the collectors remained in handcuffs for over 28 hours and were only freed at the Záhony–Chop border crossing.
He also claimed that after refusing to participate in a “witness interrogation,” he was subjected to forced medical procedures, including injections, after which his condition worsened and he was hospitalized.
Kuznietsov stressed that the legality of the cargo could have been verified within minutes, as all documents were available and registered in customs databases.
He added that the team was taken to the border twice, and translators communicated in Russian. Documents were handed to them without explanation before they were returned to Ukraine.
The detention of Ukrainian collectors became known on March 5, sparking a diplomatic dispute between Ukraine and Hungary.