“I am delighted that the entire collection is finally accessible to all Ukrainians—starting tomorrow, July 5,” said Zelenska.
“I invite everyone to come see our outstanding heritage. True national treasures are not hidden or appropriated but available to the people, enriching not just one country but the entire world.”
The exhibition features 565 4th century B.C. artifacts from four Crimean museums. The collection was on display in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Since then, Kyiv and Moscow engaged in multiple rounds of legal disputes in Dutch courts, each claiming the areological treasures for themselves. Ultimately, in June 2023, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled the collection must be returned to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the return of the Crimean treasures and the opening of the exhibition as a "victory for justice and the rule of law." He also noted the "tremendous effort" involved in Ukraine reclaiming the collection.
Acting Culture Minister Rostyslav Karandeev said that the Ukrainian government, the President's Office, the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad, and the Dutch government worked together to secure the return of the artifacts.
The exhibition is hosted at the National History Museum in Kyiv. The artifacts will be transported back to Crimea once the peninsula is liberated from Russian occupation.