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Hungary has seized two armored transport vehicles belonging to Ukraine's state-owned Oschadbank, a move that has ignited an international incident and could further strain relations between Budapest and Kyiv.

The vehicles were reportedly transporting a significant amount of cash and precious metals from Austria to Ukraine when they were intercepted on Hungarian territory.

Ukrainian Officials Detained

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that Hungarian authorities have detained seven Ukrainian citizens, all employees of Oschadbank. The reasons for their detention and their current well-being remain unclear.

"Today in Budapest, Hungarian authorities took seven Ukrainian citizens, employees of the state bank Oschadbank, hostage. The reasons for their detention and the possibility of establishing contact with them are still unknown," Kuleba wrote on social media.

He emphasized that these individuals were part of regular transport operations between Austria and Ukraine, carrying money and valuables.

Oschadbank Confirms Seizure

Oschadbank issued its own statement confirming the incident, detailing the seizure of its vehicles and the alleged appropriation of funds and valuables.

"According to GPS data, the illegally detained Oschadbank vehicles are currently located in the center of Budapest, near one of Hungary's law enforcement agencies. The location of the vehicles has been confirmed by representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy in Hungary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The whereabouts of the Oschadbank employees are currently unknown," the bank's statement read.

Rising Tensions Between Nations

This incident adds another layer of complexity to the already tense political relationship between Hungary and Ukraine. The situation has the potential to significantly escalate diplomatic friction between the two neighboring countries.

This development follows previous disagreements, including an incident on March 2nd where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shared satellite images related to the Druzhba oil pipeline, suggesting Ukraine was obstructing transit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered that satellite data doesn't reveal everything and expressed hope that a single individual wouldn't halt a €90 billion European Union loan.

This is reported by the Infohub.kz information agency.