4 Crimean museums afraid to lose art treasures

SIMFEROPOL - A museum director said on Wednesday that hundreds of precious artefacts are loaned to a Dutch museum and there are four museums which have fears they might not get their treasures back.

The rich collection of items from the 2nd century B.C. up until the late medieval era was loaned to the Allard Pierson museum in Amsterdam, before Crimea split off from Ukraine.

Now, there's a political dilemma regarding the precious items: do the artefacts go to Kiev or Moscow, once the exhibition ends?

"In the agreement it states that these items are part of the national state fund of Ukraine", said Andrei Malgin, director of the Tavrida museum in Simferopol.

This is a "very complex legal issue", said Yasha Lange, spokeswoman for Amsterdam University which owns the museum.

"Who owns the objects?" Lange asked. "The art objects will remain in the Netherlands until the exhibition ends, but given the political changes, we're now checking to whom we should give them".

The Allard Pierson appealed on the Dutch foreign ministry for advice, adding the museum was in "constant contact" with Kiev and Moscow on the issue.

The museum "considers it extremely important to exercise care in this situation". The exhibits include the ceremonial Scythian helmet, from image above, made from gold.

"I don't see why political events should threaten these items", Malgin said. "Probably there are people in Kiev who would be interested in these items not making it back to the Crimea". The Russian culture ministry had already been informed about the potential conflict.

"They are beautiful items that would be a great loss."

"Never before has Ukraine made so many prize archaeological exhibits available on loan," a press release for the exhibit said. "The exhibition casts new light on the Scythians, Goths and Huns, for centuries dismissed as little more than 'barbarians'."

The exhibition ends in August.