On October 23, the Spanish Interior Ministry announced that the police in Madrid had successfully confiscated ancient gold artifacts with an estimated value of 60 million euros ($63.7 million) that had been stolen from Ukraine.

In a coordinated effort with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Spanish law enforcement seized 11 pieces of Scythian gold that had been taken from Ukraine in the early months of 2016, clearly obtained through unlawful means.

The Scythians, a historical nomadic people who once inhabited what is now southern Ukraine, were renowned for their exceptional skills in gold craftsmanship.

The recovered jewelry, which dates back to the period between the eighth and fourth centuries BCE, reflects their extraordinary artistry, Yahoo News reported.

This retrieval of the pilfered gold is the outcome of an extensive and ongoing operation aimed at exposing a criminal network engaged in the illegal trade of cultural artifacts from Ukraine.

The culprits involved in this illicit trade included individuals from both Ukraine and Spain, who were attempting to sell these artifacts under fraudulent pretenses.

They claimed that the items belonged to a Ukrainian Orthodox priest residing in Madrid. One of these pieces had already been apprehended by investigators in 2021, following a private sale to a businessman.

Written by staff