Shvydkoy called the decision to transfer Scythian gold politically insignificant

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MOSCOW, November 24 The decision to transfer the collection of Scythian gold was made under serious political pressure, the Russian Federation considers it politically insignificant, perhaps there will be an appeal to international court, said the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy.
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine on Wednesday announced that it had reached an agreement with the Dutch Allard Pearson Museum on the transfer to the Ukrainian side of a collection of Scythian gold exhibited in Amsterdam. The Netherlands Museum has refused to collect the cost of nine years of storage of museum exhibits. However, the terms and conditions of the transfer were not specified. The University of Amsterdam, which oversees the work of the Allard Pearson Museum, said that they cannot yet confirm the agreement with Ukraine on the transfer of Scythian gold there.

“I can only say one thing: we believe that the decision of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands was made under serious political pressure, we consider it politically insignificant. Perhaps even we, despite all our difficult relations with international courts, will appeal to the international court,” he said Shvydkoy also noted that this decision was “infinitely politicized and made under the unconditional pressure of political circumstances.” The contract was concluded with Crimean museums, and the exhibits had to return there, he concluded.

Four Crimean museums — the Kerch Historical and Cultural Reserve (which later became part of the East Crimean Museum), the Central Museum of Taurida, the Bakhchisarai Historical and Cultural Reserve and the Tauride Chersonese — sent the exhibition «Crimea — Golden» in 2013 to Bonn, and then to Amsterdam island in the Black Sea.»
After the reunification of Crimea with Russia in 2014, the Netherlands had a question about who should return the collection to. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal decided on October 26, 2021 that the collection of Scythian gold should be transferred to Ukraine. In January 2022, the museums of Crimea sent a cassation appeal to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, but it upheld the decision of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal to transfer the collection of Scythian gold to Ukraine.