Netherlands: Amsterdam court rules in favour of Crimean treasures being sent to Ukraine

An Amsterdam appeals court that a collection of historical artefacts from Crimea that had been preserved in a Dutch museum for years must be returned to Ukraine, stating that they constitute "part of the Ukrainian state's cultural heritage," AP reported

The verdict, which may be appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court, upheld a lower court's decision and was the latest incident in a long-running legal battle over the fate of artefacts resulting from Russia's takeover of Crimea.

In 2014, a month after the Allard Pierson Museum inaugurated the "Crimea — Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea" exhibition, Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, causing a disagreement about wom the loaned items should be returned to. The exhibits have been kept in Amsterdam pending resolution of the issue. Russia also made it intentions clear and worked towards retaining the same.

Nearly five years ago, an Amsterdam court ruled that the artefacts must be returned to Ukraine and not to four Crimean museums who rented them out for a 2014 exhibition. The court did not decide on who owned the approximately 300 items at the time, stating that the matter should be settled by a Ukrainian court.

Artefacts belonging to the exhibition

A pure gold Scythian helmet from the 4th century B.C. and a golden neck pendant from the second century A.D., each weighing more than a kilogram (two pounds), are among the most spectacular pieces in the exhibition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter and celebrated "the long-awaited victory" and expressed gratitude to the court for a "fair verdict."

During a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the decision.

While the treasure hails from Crimea and hence "may be considered as the part of Crimean cultural heritage," the judgment on Tuesday stated that it is also "part of the cultural legacy of the Ukrainian State" as it has existed since Ukraine's independence in 1991.

"The historical interest that lies in preserving the museum artefacts is a public interest of the Ukrainian State that carries enormous weight," the court stated in a statement.

Image: AP