Ukraine Has Returned Historical Artifacts Stolen by Russia

Ukraine has received 14 ancient artifacts, which were likely previously stolen by Russians from occupied territories. These cultural treasures were being illegally transported to the United States. 

This information was reported by the official page of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

"Ukraine is immensely grateful to everyone who helps us recover our treasures. This time, it was the result of productive cooperation between the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, including Bridget Brink, the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States, Oksana Markarova, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, as well as the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, and the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine," emphasized Rostyslav Karandiyev, the acting Minister of Culture of Ukraine.

According to the report, samples of ancient weaponry from the Neolithic era to the Middle Ages have returned to Kyiv. It is noted that these artifacts will be temporarily stored in the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve.

Currently, researchers are commencing work to determine the exact origins of the found objects and their previous storage locations. According to the main version, these artifacts were stolen by Russians from museum collections in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

It is worth mentioning that since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the American side has already thwarted over 20 attempts to illegally import various cultural treasures originating from Ukraine into the United States, likely stolen from Russian-occupied territories.

Moreover, in September 2023, during the official visit of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the United States, a collection of Ukrainian artifacts, including ancient European weaponry, Scythian swords, Akinakes from the 6th century BC, iron axes, and hammers from the 17th century, which were also stolen by Russians, was returned.

At the same time, the Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine reported that efforts are underway to expedite the return of the so-called "Scythian Gold Collection" from museums on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which Russia attempted to appropriate.

Recall that earlier, The Gaze reported on the legal persecution that Russia initiated, attempting to appropriate a unique collection of Ukrainian cultural treasures.

The so-called "Scythian Gold Collection," mainly consisting of collections from Ukrainian museums in Crimea, was located at the Allard Pierson Museum in the Netherlands while Russia occupied the Ukrainian peninsula. Since then, for nine years, Russia demanded the return of the collection to the territory of occupied Crimea in an attempt to seize Ukrainian national treasures.

Only in July 2023, by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, Ukraine was finally able to assert its right to bring over 400 valuable artifacts back to Kyiv.

Starting from 2014, Russia systematically loots and destroys Ukraine's cultural heritage, including art objects, archaeological monuments, and museum valuables. 

The Ukrainian National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is creating a database called the "Stolen Heritage" to prevent the illegal trade of art objects and antiques that were stolen by Russian occupiers in Ukraine during the war.