Hungarian operatives injected Ukrainian during detention of Oshchadbank convoy – media
Hungarian operatives forcibly injected one of seven Ukrainians detained in early March during a raid on Oshchadbank armored vehicles carrying gold bars and cash, the British newspaper The Guardian reported on Friday, citing its own sources.
"The men were held in custody for over 24 hours, most of which they spent blindfolded and handcuffed before being deported to Ukraine. During this time, one of the men – a former employee of the Security Service of Ukraine – was given a forced injection. Sources added that they believe the injection contained a relaxant intended to make the suspects talkative during interrogations. However, the drug reportedly led to a hypertensive crisis in the man, who suffers from diabetes, and a loss of consciousness. He was eventually taken to a hospital," the report says.
One of the publication’s sources in Ukraine described the forced injection as a "Russian-style method," alluding to the so-called truth serums used in KGB interrogations in previous decades. Traces of a drug from this class were detected in blood tests conducted after the men returned to Ukraine, another source reported.
The Ukrainians’ Hungarian lawyer, Lorant Horvath, confirmed that "one person received an injection of unknown content despite his objections." A source in the Hungarian police told The Guardian they had heard from colleagues that an injection was administered but did not know what it contained.
Oshchadbank told the publication it could not comment on these claims due to medical confidentiality but confirmed that one of the detainees was a "person with a disability who requires a special diet and regular medication," whose health deteriorated, and "medical assistance was provided only after he lost his consciousness."
A Hungarian police source told the publication that the entire operation to detain the Ukrainian convoy was highly unprofessional, noting that not everyone in Hungary’s Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) was pleased to carry it out. "They didn’t even know the vehicles had GPS trackers. They only realized the Ukrainians knew where the men were being held when they heard it on the news," the source said.
The Ukrainian side discovered the convoy’s location because a GPS tracker in one of the cars showed it was on TEK territory, but it took several hours before Hungary admitted to seizing the cash collectors. During interrogation, the Ukrainians were kept in handcuffs for hours and were not provided with a Ukrainian translator, instead being given a Russian one.
As reported, on March 5, during a TEK special operation at a gas station on the M5 motorway, two Ukrainian armored cash vehicles carrying $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kg of gold were detained. Seven cash collectors were also detained, later released, and transported to Ukraine.
The National Police of Ukraine has initiated criminal proceedings regarding the abduction of Ukrainian citizens and an Oshchadbank service vehicle on Hungarian territory. On March 9, Hungarian Ambassador to Ukraine Antal Heizer was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, where a resolute protest was issued over the seizure of hostages and valuables.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the detention of the Oshchadbank convoy in Hungary an act of banditry. On March 12, the armored vehicles were handed over to Oshchadbank representatives and Ukrainian diplomats, but the funds and valuables remain illegally detained in Hungary.
