Ukrainian law enforcement agencies conducted an international special operation in cooperation with the police of the Kingdom of Spain, during which they confiscated cultural valuables of Ukraine, specifically Scythian gold worth 60 million euros. This information was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigations.
During the operation, two Ukrainian citizens and three Spanish citizens were detained. Law enforcement agencies determined that these individuals unlawfully smuggled a significant quantity of "Scythian Gold" items from Ukraine, concealing them from customs control between 2014 and 2020. Confiscated from these individuals were a gold medallion, gold earrings, a pendant, chokers, pectorals, and other items. The approximate market value of these products amounts to over 60 million euros.
"These objects are part of the cultural and material heritage from the period of the 'Little Scythia' state, which existed within the boundaries of modern Ukraine, and in accordance with internationally recognized borders, they belong to Ukraine," emphasized the State Bureau of Investigations.
Employees of the SSU and the State Bureau of Investigations collaborated with the competent authorities of the Kingdom of Spain to conduct a complex of investigative measures related to the participants of an international criminal group.
Law enforcement officers documented the actions of the individuals involved in the case, including clergy of the UOC-MP (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate), appraisers, notaries, and intermediaries connected to the crime.
Arrests were placed on the seized property. Based on the conclusions of experts from the National Museum of Ukrainian History, the confiscated property is considered to be part of Ukraine's cultural heritage. The question of returning these cultural assets to Ukraine is being addressed.
Additionally, the location of other parts of cultural assets and individuals involved in the crime is being determined.
The special operation was carried out under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General and in cooperation with the Office of the Interior Ministry of Spain in Ukraine and the International Cooperation Division of the National Police of Spain.
