Antique Ukrainian jewelry stolen from Ukraine – discovered in Spain

Spanish police on Monday arrested five people who tried to sell stolen antique Ukrainian jewelry in the country, the Associated Press reported.

Among the detainees are three Spaniards and two Ukrainians, one of whom is an Orthodox priest. Several countries are said to have contributed to the arrests, including staff from the Interior Ministry of Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, North Macedonia and Ukraine.

Its value amounts to 702 million Swedish krona

In connection with the arrest, they confiscated 11 pieces of jewelry said to be worth more than 60 million euros, equivalent to 702 million Swedish krona, and dating back to between 800 and 400 BC. The jewelry is believed to have been smuggled from Ukraine in 2016.

Police state that the objects are part of the national heritage of Ukraine. The jewelry, which included earrings, necklaces and even a belt, disappeared after being displayed between 2009 and 2013 in a museum in Kiev.

Now the stolen items will be studied by Spain’s National Archaeological Museum and the country’s Cultural Heritage Institute. It is not clear at this time whether the jewelry will be returned to Ukraine.

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