The official transfer took place during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s visit to the USA. President Zelenskyi attended the ceremony held for the return of these valuable artifacts and expressed his gratitude for the efforts made for their return.

The transfer of cultural values ​​was officially formalized with the certificate signing ceremony attended by President Zelenskyi, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova. The ceremony symbolized both countries’ determination to preserve cultural heritage and ensure the return of stolen treasures to their rightful owners.

President Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of these returns and said:

Whenever something is returned to Ukraine, something stolen by the Russians, it means the return of life and justice, which is very important.

What was returned to Ukraine

The works in question were seized by US law enforcement in June 2022. Among these were:

• Three iron axes of the 17th century,
• Three elections of the 17th century,
• Two Scythian iron swords Akinaki, 6th century BC
• An iron spearhead dated to 500-1200 BC.

These items were illegally imported from Russia into the United States and then seized for return to Ukraine.

The fate of “Scythian gold”

In a separate but related development, the Dutch Supreme Court upheld an earlier decision by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, which ruled that a collection of artifacts known as “Scythian gold” should be returned to Ukraine.

The collection, consisting of 565 museum objects belonging to various institutions of Ukraine, was exhibited at the Allard Pearson Museum in the Netherlands as part of the “Crimea. Golden Island in the Black Sea” exhibition in 2014.

Dutch authorities after the occupation of Crimea by Russia refused to return exhibits to Crimean museumsReferring to the fact that they were taken from Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Culture insisted that the “Scythian gold” be transferred to Russian ownership.

However, in connection with the expiration in June 2014 of the contract that allowed the Allard Pearson Museum to temporarily store the collection, these cultural values ​​were considered illegally exported from Ukraine, which required their return.

President Zelenskyy confirmed his determination to return the “Scythian gold” to Crimea, but on condition that this happens after the restoration of the Ukrainian flag in the region.