Scythian Gold presented in Ukraine after return from Netherlands

This was reported by Espreso correspondent Kateryna Galko.

One of the first boxes was opened by Rostyslav Karandieiev, the acting Minister of Culture. The cost of transporting the artifacts was UAH 1 million 200 thousand, which was taken from the state budget.

Now the artifacts are waiting for restoration and registration. After that, the original treasures of Crimea will be presented at an exhibition.

In total, the collection comprises 565 items, or 2,111 units.

Thus, after almost 10 years of litigation, the Allard Pierson Museum transferred the Scythian Gold to the National Museum of History of Ukraine, where it will be stored until the liberation of Crimea.

What is known about the Scythian Gold collection?

The Scythian Gold exhibition includes over 560 items from the museum fund of Ukraine, which have been in the Netherlands since 2013. After the occupation of Crimea by Russia, Ukraine defended its right to the exhibits to prevent their transfer to museums controlled by the occupying power.

On October 26, 2021, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled that the exhibits of the "Crimea. The Golden Island in the Black Sea" exhibition, which had been stored in museums on the peninsula before Russia's occupation of Crimea, should be returned to Ukraine.

Subsequently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the decision of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal to return the Scythian Gold to Ukraine.

"A long-awaited victory for Ukraine in the court of Amsterdam! Scythian gold will return to Ukraine. I am grateful to the court for a fair decision, and to the teams of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture for the result. We always return what is ours. First, we will return the Scythian gold, and then Crimea," Zelenskyy said.

And on June 9, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands approved a decision to return gold artifacts from Crimea to Ukraine.

Later, the Ministry of Culture reported that Ukrainians would be able to see the collection at the National Museum of History of Ukraine once it is returned.