The Dutch Supreme Court has ordered Crimea’s gold, art and treasures to be sent to Ukraine, not the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
According to the Telegraph, the treasure trove of about 300 artifacts, some dating back more than 2,000 years, was loaned to four museums in Crimea for exhibition when Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
This valuable collection is currently stored at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam (Netherlands). They are part of Ukraine’s cultural heritage. The new ruling dated June 9 upholds the appeal court’s 2021 ruling.
The ruling sparked a years-long debate over the treasure: Should it be repatriated to Ukraine or to Russian-held territory?
“This decision ends the dispute. The Allard Pierson Museum must return these art treasures to the Ukrainian state, not to museums in Crimea,” the court declared.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine called the decision an example of “Dutch leadership in defending international law.”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Mr. Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, for the plan to return the treasure.
The Allard Pierson Museum can now act on the recent Supreme Court ruling. Legal and storage costs have cost the museum more than 500,000 euros ($538,000).
Promotional materials for previous exhibitions titled “Crimea: Gold and Secrets from the Black Sea” described the artefacts as “spectacular archaeological finds”.
They include a gold scabbard, precious stones and many other artifacts that museums in Crimea have asked for their return.
Russia threatened to cut off the contract to lend the Netherlands exhibits in the future, if these items were not returned to Crimea.
