Russia accuses the Netherlands of 'theft' over Crimea's gold
Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Amsterdam’s Allard Pierson Museum, accusing them of “theft” after a disputed collection of ancient artifacts known as Scythian gold was returned to Kyiv in 2023.
The investigation was launched by Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s top investigative authority. Officials claim the parties involved failed to return cultural heritage items that Russia considers its property. The artifacts had been loaned to the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in 2014 for the exhibition “Crimea – Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea.”
The collection includes 565 ancient objects such as weapons and household items from the Scythians, Goths, and Sarmatians. The artifacts originally came from four museums on the Crimean Peninsula. During the exhibition in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, leading both Russia and Ukraine to claim ownership of the treasures and triggering a long legal dispute.
In 2016, a court in Amsterdam ruled that the artifacts must be returned to Ukraine under a UNESCO convention stating that loaned cultural items must go back to the country that provided them. Russia and the Crimean museums appealed the decision but ultimately lost, and the artifacts were transferred to Kyiv in November 2023.
Russia continues to insist the treasures became its property after the annexation of Crimea. Russian officials estimate the collection’s value at about 1.3 million euros, though experts say it could be far higher. Historian Andrei Zubov argued the case is mainly political, noting that the artifacts date back to the sixth century BC—long before Russia existed as a state.