A former Ukrainian intelligence operative has made serious allegations in an interview with Hungarian commercial television news programme TV2 Tények on Friday, 27 March, claiming the existence of a covert financial network linked to Ukraine’s leadership and involving large-scale cash movements through Hungary.
The interview follows a high-profile operation by Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) on 5 March, when authorities intercepted two armoured cash transport vehicles and detained seven Ukrainian nationals. The convoy was transporting approximately $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kilograms of gold from Austria to Ukraine—altogether valued at more than HUF 27 billion. The individuals were expelled from Hungary the following day.
In the interview, the former agent—who described himself as a defector with direct knowledge of Ukrainian intelligence operations—claimed the shipment was part of what he referred to as ‘black money’ controlled at the highest levels of Ukraine’s leadership, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
‘This is the Ukrainian army’s black money, controlled directly by the president,’ he said, alleging that such funds leave no official trace and are used to ‘solve everything’ behind the scenes.
According to his account, these off-the-books funds are used to finance a wide range of activities, including payments to mercenaries, supplementary compensation for soldiers, and financial incentives for dissatisfied officials. He also alleged that the money supports intelligence operations, including spies and saboteurs, and is channelled to foreign organizations.
‘Everything is handled with this,’ he stated, adding that matters deemed important at the highest political level are often resolved through such informal mechanisms.
‘The money supports intelligence operations, including spies and saboteurs, and is channelled to foreign organizations’
The interviewee further claimed that the convoy intercepted in Hungary was accompanied by Hennadiy Kuznetsov, a former senior figure within the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). Earlier reporting by Mandiner identified one of the detained individuals as Kuznetsov, a former SBU major general who held senior counterterrorism roles and was involved in operations during the early stages of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian investigative sources have also linked him to past misconduct proceedings and unproven allegations related to prisoner exchange programmes.
Hungarian authorities have noted that all seven individuals involved in the transport reportedly had ties, at some point, to Ukrainian military or national security structures.
The former agent outlined how such operations are allegedly conducted, claiming that while some transfers are handled through official channels, others rely on informal networks involving former military or intelligence personnel.
‘When former soldiers or intelligence officers act as couriers instead of official companies, you can be 100 per cent sure that black money is being moved,’ he said. He added that such shipments are often structured to appear legitimate while enabling funds to be diverted along the route without detection.
He also claimed that Hungary was deliberately chosen as a transit country. ‘It would have been hours shorter via Poland, but money had to be left here as well,’ he said, suggesting that part of the funds remained in Hungary.
‘Hungary was deliberately chosen as a transit country’
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó previously called for an explanation from Kyiv, stating that ‘the question legitimately arises whether this money belongs to the Ukrainian war mafia’. He also noted that, according to Hungarian data, hundreds of millions of dollars and euros, along with significant quantities of gold, have transited through Hungary in similar shipments since the beginning of the year.
Ukraine has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, maintaining that the convoy was part of a legitimate interbank transfer conducted by the state-owned Oschadbank.
The interview aired just a day after a report by Just the News, based on a recently declassified US intelligence summary of intercepted communications, claimed that Ukrainian officials had discussed redirecting American taxpayer funds—originally intended for energy infrastructure projects—towards then-President Joe Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign.
According to the report, USAID allegedly played a central role in structuring the funding in a way that would make tracing the transfers extremely difficult. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has reportedly ordered a review, instructing USAID to determine whether the plan was ever implemented.
‘Billions of dollars may have been transported through Hungary to the West in a similar manner’
Reacting to the report on Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that ‘billions of dollars’ may have been transported through Hungary to the West in a similar manner, pointing to the investigation into the intercepted cash convoy.
In the TV2 interview, the former agent claimed that the intercepted convoy was not an isolated case but part of a broader pattern of similar operations. He also suggested that some of the funds could serve purposes beyond the battlefield, including potential political influence, although he did not provide concrete evidence to support this claim.
Related articles: