For years, Russia and Ukraine have been fighting over a gold treasure from the Crimea. The current verdict is probably not the end of the bizarre story.
Amsterdam – Ukraine is to get back a gold treasure that is around 2000 years old. This was decided on Tuesday (October 26th, 2021) by a court in the Netherlands after years of tug-of-war over the museum’s goods. The treasure is the so-called Scythian gold, which was originally exhibited in museums on the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine had been struggling to get the Crimean treasure back since 2014. In the same year, the nation awarded the gold to the Netherlands for display at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in an exhibition on archaeological art treasures from Crimea. Shortly thereafter, however, Russia annexed the peninsula, after which the museum did not send the valuable objects back. In Amsterdam no one knew who was the legal owner.
Amsterdam court ruled: Crimean gold should be returned to Ukraine
Four museums in the Crimea, which are now administered by Russia, reclaimed the pieces from their collections. The Ukraine spoke out against it, however, as the gold is state property in their opinion. The matter went to court, and it was decided in 2016 that the Crimean gold belongs to Ukraine. Appeals were lodged by the museums; therefore it was only now that the judgment was confirmed.
The presiding judge Pauline Hofmeijer-Rutten justified the judgment as follows: “Even if the museum pieces come from the Crimea, they are part of the cultural heritage of Ukraine, as it has existed as an independent state since 1991”. Volodymyr Selenskyj, the President of Ukraine, was very pleased with the decision. On Twitter, he wrote of a “long-awaited victory” and drew parallels with the peninsula itself: “We always take back what is ours. After the Scythian gold, we will take back the Crimea. “
Verdict on Crimean treasure: Russia can appeal
Only recently, Zelenskyi announced the withdrawal of the peninsula at the first Crimean summit. But not only this project could be difficult. The judgment on the Scythian gold can also be appealed against.
The treasure comes from a time when the Crimea was at the crossroads of important trade routes and was inhabited by the Scythians. (vbu / afp / dpa)
