Hungary-Ukraine Tensions Surge Over Oil Pipeline Dispute, Alleged Bank Worker Detentions

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest, Hungary

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine surged Friday after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vowed to “break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force” to restore Russian crude supplies to his country, as Kyiv accused Hungarian authorities of detaining employees of a Ukrainian state bank transporting large sums of money and gold through Budapest.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Hungarian authorities had effectively taken seven Ukrainian citizens “hostage,” claiming the individuals were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank traveling through Hungary as part of a routine financial transfer to Austria.

According to Ukrainian officials and the bank, the workers were transporting 35 million euro ($38 million), $40 million, and about nine kilograms of gold when their vehicles were reportedly stopped in Budapest. Their whereabouts were initially unclear, and Kyiv demanded their immediate release.

Hungarian authorities did not immediately confirm the allegations or comment publicly on the reported detentions.

The escalating dispute comes as Orbán warned that Hungary would act to restore oil deliveries through the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline, which historically transported Russian crude oil to Central Europe.

PIPELINE DAMAGE DISPUTE

The pipeline was halted on January 27 after a Russian drone strike damaged pumping infrastructure near the Brody oil hub in western Ukraine, though Hungary and Slovakia have accused Kyiv of delaying repairs for political reasons — a claim Ukraine denies.

“We will break the oil blockade. We will force the Ukrainians to restart deliveries,” Orbán said, accusing Kyiv of deliberately halting oil shipments to Hungary and Slovakia to pressure the two countries politically.

He earlier confirmed that additional Hungarian troops had been deployed to guard key energy infrastructure, warning that Budapest feared possible sabotage linked to the dispute. In that context, Orbán referenced the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in 2022, which were built to carry Russian gas to Germany and whose sabotage remains under investigation.

Speaking roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mocked Orbán’s rhetoric while suggesting the damaged pipeline could be repaired relatively quickly.

“They [the Russians] are killing us, and we’re supposed to give poor little Orbán oil because otherwise he won’t win elections,” Zelenskyy said.

EU LOAN AND POLITICAL TENSIONS

He added that Ukraine could repair the pipeline if Hungary stopped blocking a proposed 90 billion euro European Union financial package intended to support Ukraine’s war effort.

“We hope a certain person in the EU will not keep blocking the 90 billion … and Ukrainian soldiers will have weapons,” Zelenskyy said.

“Otherwise, we will give the address of this person to our armed forces, our guys. Let them call him and speak with him in their own language,” he added in remarks widely interpreted as directed at Orbán.

Hungary holds parliamentary elections on April 12, and Orbán faces a strong challenge from Péter Magyar, leader of the pro-European Tisza Party, who led him by several percentage points in opinion polls late last month.

Right-wing nationalist leader Orbán has made Russia’s war against Ukraine a pillar of his campaign, accusing Kyiv of deliberately slowing repairs to the Druzhba pipeline and claiming the opposition is conspiring with Brussels and Kyiv to deprive Hungary of access to cheap fuel.

ELECTION CAMPAIGN CLASH

Magyar denied the accusations, saying Hungary’s gasoline prices are higher than in countries such as Austria and Poland because of what he called “Orbán’s taxes,” and urged the government to lower fuel levies.

The pipeline dispute has increasingly become part of Hungary’s heated election campaign, with Orbán portraying the disruption as an economic threat to Hungarian households while opposition leaders argue the government’s policies — including energy taxation — are driving higher fuel prices.

Ukraine says the pipeline was heavily damaged by shelling, though analysts say Kyiv may also be reluctant to allow Moscow to continue collecting oil revenues from European customers.

“We will win. We have political and financial tools, and with these we will compel them as soon as possible to reopen the Friendship oil pipeline,” Orbán warned in remarks posted on the social media platform X.

VIDEO SHOWS INJURED SOLDIERS

Several video clips accompanying the message were set to dramatic war-style music and included footage of Orbán meeting injured former Hungarian prisoners who had reportedly been captured after being forced to fight on frontlines in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

In one clip, a wounded man showed Orbán a gunshot injury in his leg, explaining that the bullet had passed through his knee but doctors said it was healing well. Another injured man showed injuries to his hands and fingers, saying he had tried to dig himself out while trapped.

“You’re safe. No one can take you from here. You’re under our protection now,” Orbán told the men during the meeting.

Hungary has long accused Ukraine of forcing ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine to serve in the Ukrainian military and fight on frontlines against Russian troops invading the country, an allegation Kyiv has repeatedly denied.

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