ARCH International

Ukraine’s General Prosecutor reported on Friday, June 24 that while authorities were “investigating money laundering linked to the funding of Russian occupied territories,” they uncovered ancient Scythian artifacts “believed to have been looted from museums in occupied Crimea.” According to the prosecutor’s statement the objects are worth millions, and a group of people have been identified to be “involved in illegal activities related to the financing of the [Donetsk People’s Republic], withdrawal of funds from Ukraine to the Russian Federation, as well as doing business in the occupied Crimea were established.”

Over 2,000 artifacts from Bronze Age to the late Middle Ages were discovered and have since been put in Ukraine’s National History Museum. The objects recovered include knives, dishes, swords, and manuscripts. In another seizure along the Black Sea coast (now occupied by Russia), authorities uncovered an additional 2,500+ coins from the Scythian and Bosporus Kingdoms. Since 2014, Russian soldiers have “been caught looting in Syria, as well as Eastern Ukraine and Crimea.” Looting cultural property from conflict zones is a war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention, which both Ukraine and the Russian Federation have been party to since 1957.

Sources:

General Prosecutor’s Office – Ukraine. 24 June 2022. “Law enforcement officers found a collection of Scythian swords and other unique museum exhibits worth millions of dollars.” https://gp.gov.ua/ua/posts/pravooxoronci-viyavili-kolekciyu-skifskix-meciv-ta-insix-unikalnix-muzeinix-eksponativ-na-milioni-dolariv-ssa (has more pictures of the objects)

Klein, David. 29 June 2022. “Ukraine Uncovers Antiquities Looted from Crimean Museums.” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/16508-ukraine-uncovers-antiquities-looted-from-crimean-museums

UNESCO. 2021. “States Parties – The Hague Convention.” https://en.unesco.org/protecting-heritage/convention-and-protocols/states-parties

Photos by the Ukraine General Prosecutor’s Office:
https://gp.gov.ua/ua/posts/pravooxoronci-viyavili-kolekciyu-skifskix-meciv-ta-insix-unikalnix-muzeinix-eksponativ-na-milioni-dolariv-ssa