A presentation of individual artifacts from the collection “Crimea: Gold and Mysteries of the Black Sea,” which has already returned to Ukraine, took place in the Treasury of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery.
According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the event was opened by Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Rostyslav Karandieiev.
“Ukraine is returning what belongs to it. Just as the Ukrainian Armed Forces are fighting to return the occupied territories, civilians who fulfill their duty in the public service, museum workers, Ukrainian diplomats, and those who work today in the interests of the country abroad, are doing everything necessary to return Ukrainian values. Those that were illegally exported from the territory of Ukraine, stolen, or those that belong to Ukraine and should be right here,” Karandieiev said.
He emphasized that the return of “Scythian gold” is the first case in the history of the Ukrainian-Russian war of the return of valuables of such a large size and significance to Ukraine.
Karandieiev recalled that the collection had been outside Ukraine for more than ten years.
“Since 2013, it was formed and sent first to Germany and then to the Netherlands for an exhibition in leading European Ukrainian museums. After the start of the war between Ukraine and Russia, the question arose of returning valuables to Ukraine, but, unfortunately, not to the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea,” Karandieiev said.
He noted that the collection is currently located in the Treasury of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, because the largest collection of Scythian treasures, particularly “Scythian gold,” is stored here.
“The 565 items that have been returned will be added to the collection, but definitely after the return of Crimea. After we resume the work of Crimean museums under the Ukrainian flag, these items will be transferred to the exact place from where they once started their European journey,” Karandieiev said.
The presentation was also attended by Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Justice Iryna Mudra, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Dzhaparova, Dutch Ambassador to Ukraine Jennes de Mol, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Bureau of Economic Security, as well as the online management of the Allard Pierson Museum and legal advisers of Ukraine from the international law firm Bergh Stoop & Sanders N.V.