Due to the SSU and ESBU’s investigation, the Scythian Gold collection worth USD 1.5 mln has been returned to Ukraine. The struggle for the fate of these artifacts lasted almost 10 years with the involvement of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

‘We have returned home not just the valuables that were taken from the Crimea in 2013, but a part of our history. For the SSU and for Ukraine, this case is symbolic. It shows that Ukraine will never give up what is rightfully ours. Just as Ukrainians brought back the Scythian Gold, we will return the Crimea, Donbas and the rest of the occupied territories. We will fight for our people, for our values and for our history!’ the SSU Head Vasyl Maliuk emphasized.

Currently, Ukraine has 565 antiquities that were taken from the Crimea to the EU in 2013 to be exhibited in private European museums.

According to the signed agreements, the entire ancient collection was to be brought back to Ukraine in the summer of 2014.

However, this did not happen - the artifacts remained abroad, and the officials of the Crimean museums, who had then moved to Kyiv, withdrew from their duties.

The same year, criminal proceedings were initiated for the illegal presence of cultural property abroad.

Since then, procedural actions and lawsuits have been ongoing to return Ukrainian antiquities.

As part of the criminal investigation, evidence was collected that allowed the Supreme Court of the Netherlands to make a final decision in this matter in Ukraine’s favour.

In addition, the court dismissed the so-called ‘cassation appeal’ of the occupation ‘museum administrations’ of the temporarily occupied Crimea regarding transfer of Ukrainian artifacts to them.

The collection has been returned even without charging fees for storage of the exhibits.

The joint measures were carried out together with the State Customs Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Efforts are underway to return to Ukraine other elements of the Scythian Gold, seized in cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies.