Crimean treasures should return to Ukraine says Dutch court

Treasures from the Crimean peninsular dating back to the 4th century BC currently being held by Amsterdam’s Allard Pierson museum must return to Kyiv.

On loan when Russian forces took control of Crimea in 2014, the collection was assembled from four museums and represented fragments of the ancient empires that used the region as a trade crossroads.

The court ruled Ukraine is sovereign in the matter.

“Crimea is a part of Ukraine. It’s only our national authorities who can decide to which museum they should return. As you know, Crimea is occupied by the Russian Federation and we have no access to Crimea, we cannot protect our cultural heritage in Crimea,” said Ukraine’s Culture Minister Svetlana Fomenko.