Dutch court: Crimean treasures must be sent to Ukraine

AMSTERDAM — An Amsterdam appeals tribunal ruled Tuesday that a trove of humanities treasures from Crimea that person been stored for years astatine a Dutch depository indispensable beryllium fixed to Ukraine, saying they are “part of the taste practice of the Ukrainian state.”

The judgment, which tin beryllium appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court, upheld a little court’s ruling and was the latest improvement successful a protracted ineligible tug-of-war astir the destiny of the artifacts that stems from Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine successful 2014, a period aft the Allard Pierson Museum opened the “Crimea — Gold and secrets of the Black Sea” exhibition, sparking a quality implicit wherever the borrowed treasures should beryllium returned to. The exhibits person been stored successful Amsterdam pending solution of the dispute.

Nearly 5 years ago, an Amsterdam tribunal ruled that the objects indispensable beryllium returned to Ukraine and not to 4 museums successful Crimea that loaned them retired for a 2014 exhibition. At the time, the tribunal didn’t regularisation connected the existent ownership of the astir 300 artifacts, saying that the contented indispensable beryllium resolved by a Ukrainian court.

Among the astir stunning objects successful the accumulation are a coagulated golden Scythian helmet from the 4th period B.C. and a aureate cervix ornament from the 2nd period A.D. that measurement much than a kilogram (two pounds) each.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented connected Twitter, hailing “the long-awaited victory” and saying helium was “grateful to the tribunal for a just decision.”

“We ever regain what’s ours,” Zelenskyy tweeted. “After the ‘Scythian gold,’ we’ll instrumentality Crimea.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t remark erstwhile asked astir the ruling during a league telephone with reporters.

Tuesday’s ruling said that portion the trove originates from Crimea and truthful “may beryllium considered portion of Crimean taste heritage, they are portion of the taste practice of the Ukrainian State” arsenic it has existed since independency successful 1991.

The tribunal said successful a connection that “the taste involvement that lies successful preserving the depository pieces is simply a nationalist involvement of the Ukrainian State that carries large weight.

Corder reported from The Hague. Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov successful Moscow contributed.