The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Moscow. Photo credit: mos.ru (CC BY 4.0)
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the transfer of the collection of Scythian gold to Ukraine illegitimate, RIA Novosti reports. This decision contradicts the practice of inter-museum exchanges, noted department spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Maria Zakharova stated that the Netherlands caused serious damage to the cultural and historical heritage of Crimea. The MFA noted that the Supreme Court of the Netherlands disguised the actual theft of cultural property. This once again calls into question the independence and impartiality of the country's judicial system.
Responsibility for the theft, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, rests with the Kiev regime. Messages stating that the objects of art previously located on Ukrainian territory are placed on international auctions regularly appear on social media. There is a suspicion that Crimean artifacts may be lost, Maria Zakharova stressed. Responsibility for this will lie, among other things, with the Netherlands. Perhaps someone there is interested in this, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified.
The Dutch authorities transferred to Ukraine a collection of Scythian gold from Crimean museums. The Allard Pearson Museum in Amsterdam said that the cargo was delivered to Ukrainian territory on November, 26.
As Russkiy Mir
reported, the artifacts were sent from Crimean museums to an exhibition at the Allard Pearson Museum. The state guaranteed the return of the exhibits. After Crimea returned to the Russian Federation in March 2014, the issue of where to return the exhibits was decided in court.
In the fall of 2021, the Amsterdam court decided to transfer the collection to Ukraine.
Russkiy Mir
