The Netherlands handed over the 'Scythian gold' for safekeeping to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine

Artefacts from four museums in Crimea, featured in the exhibition 'Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea' in Amsterdam, have been returned from the Netherlands to Ukraine. These artefacts, including ancient sculptures, Scythian and Sarmatian jewelry, and Chinese lacquer boxes dating back two thousand years, will be preserved at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine until the de-occupation of Crimea. A total of 565 items were returned. This information was reported by the museum's press service.

At the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, it is recalled that from February to August 2014, the Allard Pierson Museum hosted the exhibition 'Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea.' The exhibition showcased items from the collections of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine and four museums in Crimea: the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos (Sevastopol), the Central Museum of Taurida (Simferopol), the Bakhchisaray Historical and Cultural Preserve, and the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Preserve.

In February 2014, Russia began the occupation of Crimea.

"The items from the collection of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine returned to Kyiv after the conclusion of the exhibition. However, returning valuables from Crimean museums to the territory not under Ukrainian control became impossible. Museums in Crimea, de facto controlled by the Russian authorities, insisted on this. Legal proceedings began in the Netherlands," the statement reads.

In December 2016, a court in Amsterdam decided to transfer the Crimean treasures to the state of Ukraine in accordance with the Heritage Law. The Court of Appeal in Amsterdam also decided to grant the lawsuit for the transfer of Crimean artifacts to Ukraine, but this time based on the Ukrainian law 'On Museums' and the order of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine from March 2014. This order grants the Minister of Culture the authority to make decisions on transferring museum exhibits for responsible storage if there is a risk of their destruction, loss, or damage.

The museums in Crimea filed a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, requesting the annulment of the Court of Appeal's decision. On June 9, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands rejected the cassation appeal of the Crimean museums, leaving the appellate decision unchanged.

Furthermore, according to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, Ukraine was required to pay the Allard Pierson Museum €111,689 with interest for the entire period of preserving the collections of the Crimean museums. Last week, the acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Rostyslav Karandieiev, announced that the Dutch side had decided not to claim the storage costs for the museum exhibits over the 9-year period.

The Director-General of the National Museum of Ukrainian History, Fedir Androshchuk, noted that the choice of a storage location for the exhibits was preceded by legal disputes.

"This means that the museum will make maximum efforts from its side for their preservation and for citizens and guests of Ukraine to be able to see them. At the same time, since the collection has gained international political resonance, its condition and further fate will now be under the watchful attention of the world. This, in turn, places responsibility on everyone involved in 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 Ukrainian History," emphasized Androshchuk.