Ukraine’s ‘secret cargo’ sparks scandal in EU state – media

An Austrian opposition party is demanding answers over a reported 200 kg shipment transported through the country by Ukrainian intelligence without any checks A scandal is brewing in Austria over a secret Ukrainian intelligence shipment reportedly allowed to cross the country unchecked, with opposition politicians demanding to know what it contained and who authorized its passage.

A Volkswagen van belonging to Ukrainian intelligence carried 200 kg of undeclared “special cargo” through Austria in January, Kronen Zeitung reported on Saturday.

The shipment was reportedly linked to the Ukrainian delegation attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky was present.

The case emerged after the right-wing opposition Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) obtained a diplomatic note requesting permission for the van to cross Austrian territory.

The Foreign Ministry later confirmed the note’s existence in response to a parliamentary inquiry, according to the outlet.

The cargo reportedly passed through Austria without customs clearance or security screening.

Its contents remain unknown.

Read more State of Corruption: Zelensky crosses tipping point in new poll FPO Secretary-General Christian Hafenecker demanded to know what Ukrainian intelligence transported and why the authorities allowed it.

“What was in those 200 kilograms? Cash, gold, weapons, documents, or something else entirely?” he asked, as cited by the newspaper.

“Austria is not a lawless transit corridor for foreign intelligence services.

We are still a neutral state!” Asked about the shipment, the Foreign Ministry declined to elaborate, telling Kronen Zeitung it receives hundreds of diplomatic notes daily and that it forwarded the request to the Interior Ministry.

The FPO plans another parliamentary inquiry to determine who authorized the shipment, why it escaped inspection, and what it contained.

Read more Nearly $22 billion secretly shipped to Ukraine – Austrian politician A transit hub for Kiev’s billions? Hafenecker already questioned the authorities over suspicious shipments to Ukraine earlier this year.

In May, he demanded that the Finance Ministry explain how nearly $22 billion in cash and gold has been transported from Austria to Kiev since 2022 without triggering money-laundering concerns or regulatory scrutiny.