ISTANBUL

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Friday that the seven Ukrainian nationals who were detained in Hungary have returned to the country.

Sybiha wrote on US social media company X that he briefed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about their “release,” stating the seven are “already safe and they have crossed the Ukrainian border.”

“Our consuls have provided necessary assistance,” said Sybiha, thanking the ministry team, as well as the Ukrainian Embassy in Hungary and others, who helped in their return.

Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration announced Friday that it detained the seven Ukrainian nationals, as well as two armored cash‑transport vehicles, amid criminal proceedings launched on suspicion of money laundering Thursday.

“The vehicles had been transporting a total of 40 million US dollars, 35 million euros, and 9 kilograms of gold from Austria, with Ukraine as the intended destination,” said the statement, indicating more than $900 million, €420 million, and 146 kilograms of gold bars have been transported through Hungary to Ukraine this year.

The two vehicles and their crew are part of the Kyiv-based Oschadbank, which said they were “unjustifiably detained,” while Sybiha accused Budapest of taking the seven nationals “hostage” in an earlier statement.

Meanwhile, Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said on X that authorities found the transport was supervised by a former general of Ukraine’s Security Service, with the involvement of other individuals with “military experience.”

“Based on these findings, all seven individuals will be expelled from Hungary,” Kovacs added, while Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto questioned why the “enormous sums” were transported in cash.

“We recommend our citizens refrain from traveling to Hungary due to the inability to guarantee their safety amid the arbitrary actions of the Hungarian authorities,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry announced on X.

The detention of the Ukrainian nationals came amid diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Budapest caused by a halt to oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline after a Jan. 27 incident, which Ukraine has blamed on Russia.

Hungary and Slovakia, however, have accused Ukraine of intentionally blocking shipments to gain political leverage, and have since decided to suspend diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine in response.