The Scythian Gold has Returned to Ukraine After 10 Years of Uncertainties
Unique artifacts from four museums in Crimea, Ukraine, which Russia sought to appropriate after the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014, have finally returned to Ukraine. For almost 10 years, they were held in the Netherlands.
This information was reported by the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.
The artifacts were transferred from the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam directly to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Kyiv, where historical treasures will be preserved until the complete de-occupation of Crimea.
"During legal disputes, our museum was designated as the storage location for collections from Crimean museums. This means that our museum will make maximum efforts to preserve them and allow citizens and guests of Ukraine to see them," noted Fedir Androshchuk, the general director of the museum.
It's worth noting that in November, all exhibits from Crimean museums underwent an independent verification, after which they were packed according to museum standards and transported to Kyiv.
Currently, Ukrainian experts are inspecting the condition of 565 artifacts, including various ancient sculptures, Scythian and Sarmatian ornaments, as well as Chinese boxes dating back over two thousand years.
"As the collection gained international political resonance, its condition and future will now be under the watchful attention of the world. This, in turn, places responsibility on those who stood behind the political decision to return the collection to war-torn Ukraine. They must ensure its unprecedented protection and provide appropriate economic support to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine," added Androshchuk.
It's worth reminding that since January 2014, the exhibition "Crimea – the Golden Island in the Black Sea" was displayed at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. Before that, in 2013, the unique collection was exhibited at the LVR-Landesmuseum in Bonn, Germany.
After Russia illegally occupied the Ukrainian peninsula, Moscow demanded the return of the collection to its controlled territory. Upon refusal, the Russian side initiated a legal process that dragged on until 2023.
It was also previously announced that the Amsterdam Archaeological Museum waived Ukraine's debt for storing the collection of "Scythian Gold"