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Ukrainian Priest Among Five Arrested in Spain for Illegally Selling Ancient Gold Jewellery Worth $64 million Stolen from Ukraine

Artefacts smuggled from Ukraine in 2016, and part of the country's national heritage were going to be sold in Madrid with forged documents claiming they belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; investigation is ongoing as the pieces are being studied by Spain's National Archaeological Museum and the Cultural Heritage Institute.

Overview

  • A Ukrainian priest is among five individuals, including two Ukrainians and three Spaniards, arrested for attempting to illegally sell ancient gold jewellery, valued at $64 million, in Madrid.
  • The stolen artefacts, believed to be a part of Ukraine's national heritage, originally went missing from an undisclosed Kyiv museum where they were displayed between 2009 and 2013.
  • The 11 gold items, dated from the eighth to fourth centuries BC, were smuggled out of Ukraine in 2016; they include earrings, necklaces, and a distinct gold belt, seized in 2021.
  • The accused used forged documents that falsely claimed the artefacts belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in an attempt to legitimize their sale.
  • Spain's National Archaeological Museum and the Cultural Heritage Institute are analyzing the confiscated pieces. Police investigations are ongoing, with international assistance from Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, North Macedonia and Ukraine.