Hungarian authorities have returned a shipment of cash and gold worth approximately $82 million to Ukraine, following a tense standoff that saw Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accuse Kyiv of money laundering. The seizure last week involved $40 million and €35 million in cash, along with 9kg of gold worth about $1.5 million, which was being transported by road through Hungary.
The move sparked outrage in Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing Hungary of 'banditry'. The dispute escalated as Ukraine and Hungary traded barbs over gas supplies, with Budapest and Slovakia alleging Kyiv deliberately stalled repairs to a pipeline damaged in a Russian drone attack.
On the battlefield, both sides claimed gains. Ukraine said it had retaken over 400 square kilometres in the Dnipropetrovsk region, while Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his forces now hold 83-85% of the Donbas, up from 75% six months ago. Meanwhile, the US proposed new Ukraine-Russia talks in Switzerland or Turkey, with prisoner swaps on the agenda.
A UN inquiry concluded that Russia's deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children constitutes a crime against humanity, confirming 1,205 cases with 80% still missing. Ukrainian forces struck a Bryansk missile components factory using British Storm Shadow missiles, killing six civilians according to Russian officials. In Sloviansk, a Russian guided bomb attack killed four and injured 16, including a 14-year-old girl.
The Venice Biennale faced EU backlash for allowing Russia to participate, with Brussels threatening to suspend funding. Kyiv had called for Russia's exclusion, as was done in 2022 and 2024.
