Smuggling of Exclusive Jurassic Fossil Intercepted in Ukraine

Kyiv customs officers have detained an exclusive Jurassic fossil while attempting to smuggle it from Ukraine to the United States, Kyiv Customs reports on Facebook.

During the customs control of an international mail shipment from Ternopil in the west of Ukraine to the United States, customs officers noticed an unusual rough stone with growths. Due to the external signs of organic residues on the stone, customs officers sent it to the National Museum of Natural History of Ukraine to determine whether the sample belongs to cultural value.

According to experts, this "stone" is the shell of the sea urchin Pygaster michelini, on which Serpula sp. settled. From the paleontologist's point of view, this is an exclusive. The probable place of discovery is Trakhtemyriv (Cherkasy region), Dnipro River basin. The geological age is about 161-165 million years.

Experts note that the specimen is original and emphasise its perfect preservation. The fossil comes from the Cretaceous deposits of the Jurassic period. The object has cultural value as a geological heritage. Experts recommend that the find be included in the State Register of National Heritage and the Museum Fund of Ukraine.

Kyiv Customs reminded that to export cultural property across the customs border, it is necessary to have a certificate from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. In this case, the customs officers were not provided with such a document.

A report on violation of the customs rules of the Customs Code of Ukraine was drawn up. The fossil was seized.

This is not the first fossil discovered by Kyiv customs officers this year during customs control of international mail.

In November, Kyiv Customs seized artefacts from the times of Rus and a nineteenth-century icon. Among them are the icon "The Lord Almighty" of the famous Borysivka School of Iconography, as well as 12 ancient authentic items of personal piety and personal use of archaeological origin.

All of them were on their way from Kyiv and Ternopil regions to the United States.

Experts from the National Museum of History of Ukraine and the National Art Museum of Ukraine identified two finds. These are the icon "The Lord Almighty" (nineteenth-XX centuries) and a bronze cross-encolpion (XII-XIII centuries) with relief images of Christ, the Mother of God and the Crucifixion scene. Such crosses were used in Russia to keep the relics of saints. Both valuables were sent abroad by residents of the Kyiv region.