Ukraine is negotiating with the Netherlands to get back the collection of "Scythian gold" free of charge.
This was reported by Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko during a telethon on June 15.
“Yes, there is a certain amount that we have to pay for keeping this collection in the Dutch museum. The Ministry of Justice is conducting negotiations so that we can return this collection back to Ukraine free of charge as soon as possible. We keep in touch with our colleagues," Oleksandr Tkachenko noted.
- On June 9, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands ordered the archaeological museum in Amsterdam to hand over 565 exhibits from the exhibition "Crimea. The Golden Island in the Black Sea" to Kyiv. The exhibits were "stuck" there in 2014 — they were taken out of Crimea even before the occupation, and for the next nine years, Russia and Ukraine argued in courts about where the exhibition should return.
- In 2014, more than two thousand exhibits were taken from the museums of Crimea to an exhibition in Amsterdam. After the occupation of Crimea, Russia and Ukraine argued about the ownership of the collection. The collection has more than two thousand exhibits with a total value of over one million euros. After the exhibition ended, 19 objects, including the legendary golden sword and shield, returned to the Museum of Historical Jewelry in Kyiv. The rest of the collection — 565 museum pieces and 2 111 storage units, with a total value of nearly €1.5 million — has become the subject of controversy.