During a working visit to the United States, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in a ceremony of returning cultural property stolen by Russian invaders from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
In the presence of the Head of State, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova signed the relevant certificate of transfer of Ukrainian artifacts confiscated by U.S. law enforcement agencies.
The President thanked everyone involved for their work, which is also aimed at supporting Ukraine.
"After all, every time something returns to Ukraine, something stolen by Russians, means the return of life and justice, which is very important," he emphasized.
For her part, Oksana Markarova noted that Russians are constantly trying to steal Ukraine's history, its national identity, and our artifacts.
"We will not allow them to do this," she emphasized.
In June 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained an antique, which, after examination, turned out to be a European iron axe from the 17th century with a hammer on the back. The axe was illegally exported from Ukraine to the United States.
Also last June, artifacts smuggled into the United States from Russia were seized. In particular, three 17th-century iron axes, three 17th-century mattocks, two 6th-century BC Scythian iron acinaces, and one iron spearhead dating from approximately 500-1200 BC.
These artifacts were confiscated for transfer to the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States under administrative procedure.
