31 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ukraine says Russian forces stole Scythian treasures from Melitopol Museum

Invading Russian troops have stolen items of ancient Scythian gold and other historical and cultural valuables that were stored in the Melitopol Museum of Local History, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has said.

On the fact of violation of the law and the customs of war, the Zaporizhzhia regional prosecutor’s office began criminal proceedings. It is reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, in April, the military of the Russian Federation and representatives of the occupation administration stole the national values ​​of Ukraine from the Melitopol Museum of Local Lore.

“According to preliminary data, among the stolen property was a collection of Scythian gold, which archaeologists discovered in the 50s of the last century,” the statement said.

Under the procedural leadership of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor’s Office, criminal proceedings have been initiated on the fact of violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 1, Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

This Scythian gold necklace is safely kept in a museum in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Scythian artifacts kept in a museum in Melitopol were reportedly stolen by Russian troops.
This Scythian gold necklace is safely kept in a museum in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Scythian artifacts kept in a museum in Melitopol were reportedly stolen by Russian troops.

The pre-trial investigation is carried out by the investigators of the Zaporizhzhia department of the SBU.

Melitopol’s mayor Ivan Fyodorov said, “A little more than a week ago (on Saturday), some expert from the Crimea was supposed to come, who was supposed to assess this Scythian gold to understand its value and authenticity. What is the fate of this Scythian gold now, we have no information! After the arrival of this expert, none of the museum staff has ever seen this Scythian gold,”

According to him, the Scythian gold kept in the local history museum of Melitopol is original and “almost priceless”.

This was hardly the first attack on Ukrainian culture since the war began.

In Mariupol, the town that has been hammered for weeks by Russian forces, officials said that Russian agents broke into an art museum and stole masterpiece paintings, a famous sculpture, and several highly valued Christian icons.

Scythian artifacts.

On Saturday, Ukrainian officials said that more than 250 cultural institutions had been damaged or destroyed.

Melitopol Museum of Local History is an elegant, three-story, stone building in the old part of town, home to 50,000 exhibits, from Soviet-era medals to old battle axes. But its prized collection was a set of rare gold ornaments from the Scythians, a nomadic people that founded a rich, powerful empire, centered in the Crimean Peninsula, that endured from around the eighth century B.C. to the second century A.D.

Earlier, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal had ruled by recognizing Ukraine’s right to the ownership of the Scythian gold collection. To more read…

Related Articles

The Mysterious Prehistoric Underwater Structure Beneath Lake Michigan

6 February 2024

6 February 2024

A prehistoric structure reminiscent of England’s iconic Stonehenge has been uncovered in Grand Traverse Bay, an arm of Lake Michigan...

Archaeologists find new clues about North Carolina’s ‘Lost Colony’ from the 16th century

11 May 2024

11 May 2024

Archaeologists from The First Colony Foundation have yielded a tantalizing clue about the fate of the Lost Colony, the settlers...

2,000-year-old unique luxury Roman villa with “underfloor heating” found in Germany

3 November 2022

3 November 2022

A luxury Roman villa with a thermal bath and underfloor heating has been unearthed in Kempten, Bavaria, one of the...

Ötzi the Iceman Had Dark Skin, Bald Head and Anatolian Ancestry -New study rewrites ancient history

17 August 2023

17 August 2023

New DNA analysis by German researchers shows that the famous glacier mummy Ötzi may have had dark skin, dark eyes,...

Samen Underground City Getting Prepared for Public Visits

6 June 2021

6 June 2021

Samen Underground City is a unique structure in Iran and the extent of such a structure has not been observed...

Archaeologists discover 1200-year-old Wari temple complex in Peru

24 February 2023

24 February 2023

Archaeologists from the University of Illinois Chicago have uncovered a temple complex constructed by the Wari Empire 1,200 years ago...

Ancient settlements that challenge traditional thinking “Karahantepe and Taş Tepeler”

5 December 2021

5 December 2021

After Göbeklitepe in Şanlıurfa, which sheds light on 12,000 years ago in human history and is considered one of the...

“Secret” Excavations in Luxembourg Reveal 141 Roman Gold Coins from Nine Roman Emperors

13 January 2025

13 January 2025

Archaeologists uncovered a Roman gold coin hoard of 141 Roman gold coins dating to the second half of the 4th...

A rare Byzantine gold coin discovered in Norway, probably brought from Constantinople

9 December 2023

9 December 2023

A metal detectorist exploring the mountains in the municipality of Vestre Slidre in southern Norway discovered a rare histamenon nomisma...

2,000-year-old financial record uncovered on Pilgrimage Road in the City of David, Jerusalem

17 May 2023

17 May 2023

A financial record dating back 2,000 years has been unearthed on the Pilgrimage Road in the City of David, Jerusalem’s...

Archaeologists Find One of the Long-Lost Holy Cities in Jordan

13 July 2025

13 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery in Jordan has brought one of the Holy Land’s long-lost cities back to light. Researchers now...

Unusual Iron Age Female Grave Found in Pryssgården, Sweden

3 November 2024

3 November 2024

In an Iron Age cemetery in Sweden, archaeologists found a woman’s grave buried with a small needle and an iron...

The Largest Medieval Coins Treasure found in Recent Decades discovered in Germany

16 August 2024

16 August 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed one of the largest medieval coin hoards, consisting of approximately 1,600 coins, in recent years in the...

An Urartian fortress was discovered at an altitude of 3,300 meters in eastern Turkey

2 July 2022

2 July 2022

In the Gürpınar district of Van, located in eastern Turkey, a fortress ruin, which is considered to be used by...

World’s Oldest Place Name Signs

4 February 2021

4 February 2021

Throughout the history of the world, our interest and curiosity in ancient cultures and lives continue to increase day by...