RThe court’s decision to transfer “Scythian gold” from the collections of Crimean museums to Ukraine is a “fig leaf covering a raider seizure,” Aksenov said. The Ministry of Culture of the region promised to continue the fight for the return of exhibits
The decision of the Amsterdam court, which decided to transfer Scythian gold from the collections of Crimean museums to Ukraine, is “unfair and illegal,” said the head of Crimea Sergey Aksenov.
“In fact, this is a fig leaf covering a brazen raider takeover. Scythian gold was found in the Crimean land, where it has lain for many hundreds of years, these values are an integral part of the historical and cultural heritage of Crimea, the property of all Crimeans, they should be returned to the funds of Crimean museums,” he wrote in his Telegram channel.
Despite this, the court decided to be guided “not by law, but by politics” and “went along with the hysterical demands of representatives of the Kiev regime,” Aksenov continued. “I believe that the struggle for the return to the homeland of values that rightfully belong to the peoples of Crimea should be continued,” he concluded.
The fact that the work on the return of the Scythian gold will continue, was previously stated by the Minister of Culture of the Crimea Arina Novoselskaya. “The Ministry of Culture of Crimea, the Crimean museums categorically do not accept this decision and will continue to work on the return of their Crimean collections by all available legal methods,” she said.
Scythian gold is a collection of 2,000 items that four Crimean museums donated to the Allad Pierson Museum in the Netherlands for an exhibition in February 2014. In March of that year, Crimea became part of Russia, after which Ukraine claimed its rights to the exhibits. Among them there is a Scythian helmet, a painted altar from the burial of the Scythian king Skilur in the mausoleum of Scythian Naples in Simferopol, a statue of the snake-footed goddess of the Scythians and other objects.
Crimean museums tried to get the collection returned, but in the end a court in Amsterdam ruled that the Scythian gold belongs to Kiev. The President of Ukraine called this decision a long-awaited victory and promised to return the Crimea after the exhibits.
The Kremlin declined to comment, and the Central Museum of Taurida told RBC that “legalized theft” was taking place. “I hope that in the very near future a cassation appeal will be filed with the Supreme Court of the Netherlands and the execution of this decision will be suspended,” Alexander Molokhov, deputy head of the working group on international legal issues at the Permanent Mission of Crimea to the President of Russia, said in a conversation with Interfax.
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