Russian Investigative Committee opens Case over Crimean Collection

A collection of Scythian artifacts that had been on loan to Amsterdam’s Allard Pierson Museum since 2013 was returned to Ukraine in 2023 following a ruling by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.

Russia’s top investigative body argued that the 565 museum items had become Russian property after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and should therefore have been transferred to Russia once the exhibition ended.

Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee says on Telegram: "The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has initiated legal proceedings against officials from the Dutch government, the Ukrainian government, and the University of Amsterdam’s Allard Pierson Museum. The case involves allegations of theft under Article 164 (organized theft of items of historical or cultural value) and Article 190 (failure to return exported cultural valuables) of the Russian Criminal Code.

According to the investigation, the Landesmuseum in Bonn and the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam signed contracts in early 2013 with several Crimean institutions. These agreements facilitated the exhibition "Crimea – Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea," which featured 565 items. While the collection carried an insurance valuation of approximately 117 million rubles, Russian investigators state the market value is significantly higher, with some artifacts considered unique to world heritage.

The dispute stems from the 2014 change in Crimea’s political status. Following the region's incorporation into the Russian Federation, Russia claimed the exhibits as federal property. Although Crimean museums sought the return of the collection through the Dutch legal system, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled in 2021 that the items should be transferred to Ukraine.

The Russian Investigative Committee characterizes the subsequent transfer as an unlawful seizure without compensation. Under Article 12, Part 3 of the Russian Criminal Code, the committee asserts jurisdiction over foreign nationals committing acts outside of Russia if those acts are deemed contrary to Russian interests and have not been subject to a prior foreign court ruling regarding the specific criminal charges in question.

ArtDependence contacted the Allard Pierson Museum for comment.

A spokesperson says:

"We have learned through the media that Svetlana Petrenko of the Investigative Committee has indicated that a criminal case is being initiated against the Dutch state, against Ukraine, and against the Allard Pierson – The Collections of the University of Amsterdam. As of yet, we have received no direct communication regarding this matter.

In 2023, the last of the 409 art treasures from the exhibition Crimea – Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea were transferred to the state of Ukraine and to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Kyiv. This took place following the ruling of the Supreme Court on June 9, 2023, which decreed that the Allard Pierson must return the art treasures to the State of Ukraine."