The seizure of Sberbank’s cash-in-transit vehicles in Hungary was Orban’s personal decision – media

The detention of Ukrainian cash collectors and the confiscation of Sberbank funds in March 2026 occurred on the personal orders of then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán , and there were no sufficient legal grounds for the operation.

This is stated in an investigation by the Hungarian publication Telex.

According to journalists, on the evening of March 5, two Oschadbank cash-in-transit vehicles carrying seven employees were detained in Hungary while transporting funds under an agreement with Raiffeisen Bank International . The Ukrainians were fired the following day, and the confiscated funds were not returned until May.

At the time, Hungarian authorities attributed their actions to suspicions of money laundering and referred to the operation as the “Ukrainian Gold Convoy.” Meanwhile, the Austrian central bank stated that transporting cash between countries was a normal and legitimate banking practice.

According to Telex, sources within Hungarian authorities confirmed that the operation had a political motive. They said the real motive was Orbán’s reaction to problems with Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. That same day, the politician publicly stated that Hungary would force the Ukrainians to resume oil supplies.

Journalists also discovered that in early March, government agencies received instructions to conduct a raid on March 5. Several independent sources confirmed that the decision was made personally by Orbán and that he received regular reports on the operation’s progress.

To detain the Ukrainians, special forces from the anti-terrorism center, rather than regular tax service units, were deployed. Some interviewees attributed this to potential risks, while others believed this format was intended to maximize political impact.

Following Orban’s Fidesz party’s defeat in the elections, Hungarian authorities returned confiscated funds to Ukraine, and the prosecutor’s office opened proceedings for the illegal detention of Ukrainian cash collectors.

Commenting on the investigation, Hungary’s current Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Orbán should be held accountable for the actions of law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the case.