A long battle that has lasted for seven years. In the aftermath of the Dutch court’s decision to return Crimean archaeological treasures to Ukraine disputed between Moscow and Kiev, Russia announced, Wednesday, October 27, the beginning of an investigation to estimate its damage in this file.
The Russian investigative committee, responsible for major criminal cases, said in a statement that it will “A proper assessment of the violation of Russian interests”. This procedure, which will be under the responsibility of its branch in Crimea, will aim to establish, in collaboration with Russian diplomacy, the circumstances “Of no return” of this archaeological treasure.
The Amsterdam Court of Appeal on Tuesday ordered the return to Ukraine of a priceless collection of archaeological objects – since held back in the Netherlands – on loan from Crimea to an Amsterdam museum for exhibition “The Crimea. Gold and secrets of the Black Sea ”, before the annexation of this peninsula by Moscow. This collection, made up of nearly 2,000 objects, dating from the IIe century AD until the early Middle Ages, had been temporarily transferred to the Allard-Pierson Museum by four Crimean museums shortly before Russia’s annexation in March 2014.
Violation of international law
The four Crimean museums therefore launched a lawsuit to force the Allard-Pierson museum to return the collection. In 2016, a Dutch court ruled that these objects should be returned to Ukraine, stressing that Crimea was not considered an autonomous state. Crimean museums appealed against this decision. The case could now be taken to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.
“We not only collect museum pieces”, but also “Relics testifying to our millennial history”, reacted on Tuesday in a video, after the judgment rendered by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba. During the trial, “All Russian falsifications and manipulations” resulted in a “Fiasco”, he concluded.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also welcomed a ” Victoire “ for his country, the Russian investigation committee considered that the Dutch justice had acted with regard to “Of the political situation” only, and the Russian Ministry of Culture denounced a violation of international law.