Law enforcers seized the largest collection of antiquities since the period of independence

24.06.2022 12:48

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrsky announced this today, June 24, during a press conference.

The event was also attended by Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova, Director of the State Bureau of Investigation Alexey Sukhachev, Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko.

“This is a unique unprecedented find, not only for Ukraine, but also for Eastern Europe. It is significant that we present the finding today, the day after granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership of the European Union. The objects found by law enforcement officers clearly connect the history of Ukraine with the history of Europe,” said Denis Monastyrsky.

According to Denis Monastyrsky, within five days the operatives of the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police together with law enforcement colleagues conducted 13 sanctioned searches. 6066 items that may have cultural value were seized, which could only be taken out by two trucks.

According to preliminary estimates, the recovered items have signs of archaeological objects: ancient weapons and weapons, jewelry and clothing details, ceramic, metal and glassware. In addition, one of the items seized is an old print and belongs to the library fund of Ukraine.

“Experts say that the finds have no analogues in the museum collections of Ukraine, or in a single copy. The origin of values still needs to be established. Some come from Crimean museums, but most come from illegally looted mounds, which were apparently assembled for a very long time. Part of the collection was simply destroyed, due to storage in inappropriate conditions. This shows that it was not museum workers who did not understand the value of artifacts,” the Minister of Internal Affairs said.

The recovered archaeological objects will be transferred to the National Museum of History of Ukraine for safekeeping.