Spanish police seize stolen Ukrainian artefacts worth $101 million smuggled out of Ukraine
Spain has seized gold artefacts valued at 60 million euros ($101 million) stolen from Ukraine after thieves were caught trying to sell them in Madrid.
Key points:
- The artefacts had forged documents to make it look like they belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
- 14 ancient weapons were also seized by police in the US last week
- Officials have described the stolen artefacts as significant cultural treasures
The 11 pieces from the Scythian culture, which were exhibited in a Kyiv museum between 2009 and 2013, were smuggled out of Ukraine in 2016, Spanish police said in a statement.
Three Spaniards and two Ukrainians were arrested following an investigation that began when one of the pieces — a gold belt with rams’ heads — was sold in 2021 in Madrid.
Police discovered the suspects had other pieces they were attempting to sell.
The pieces had forged documents to make it look as if they belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Ownership of the pieces was transferred to a Ukrainian Orthodox priest based in Madrid.
The pieces are being studied at the Spanish National Archaeological Museum and the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain.
Some of the artefacts recovered
It follows the recovery of 14 archaeological items late last week, allegedly stolen by a Russian man stopped at a US airport.
Ukraine’s Acting Minister of Culture Rostyslav Karandieiev said the man stole the artefacts from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and then tried to transport them into the US, where he was stopped on suspicion of illegal importation.
The recovered items included various types of weaponry, such as axes of different sizes, dating back to periods ranging from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages.
One of the oldest was a polished Neolithic axe, dating from approximately 5,000-3,000 years BCE.
“It’s safe to say that Ukraine has received a new shipment of weaponry. The only catch is that this weaponry is incredibly ancient,” Mr Karandieiev.
The acting director-general of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Maksym Ostapenko, estimated the value of the repatriated items to be around $20,000.
But he emphasised that each artefact, given its age, was a significant cultural treasure.
AP/Reuters
[ad_2]
Source link
Banking Crisis Raises Concerns About Hidden Leverage in the System
Air pockets, free falls, and more cowbells
Xi and Putin to Attend G-20 Summit in Indonesia, Jokowi Says
About The Author
