Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation discovered over 7,000 archaeological artifacts at the residence of a former member of parliament who headed the Council of Ministers of Crimea in the early 2000s, the agency reports.
The former MP, Valeriy Horbatov, agreed during the pretrial investigation to transfer his entire collection to the National Museum of History of Ukraine.
"This is the largest addition to the museum fund in the entire history of independent Ukraine," the Bureau's press service said. "Some of the artifacts have already been presented to museum visitors, as they were transferred there for safekeeping."
Searches at Horbatov's properties began in 2022. In April that year, investigators found a collection of ancient Ukrainian artifacts in one of his office premises. Among them: a unique Hunnic sword with gold decoration, a gold Byzantine icon from the 11th-12th century, jewelry, helmets, icons, and other items, including Trypillian culture pottery.
In early May, SBI officers discovered another cache containing a large collection of archaeological valuables. According to investigators, the items may have been illegally removed from Ukraine's Museum Fund or found during unlawful excavations. Over 1,000 finds date from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
"In particular, a Hunnic sword decorated with gold and almandines was seized. Stylistically, it resembles the famous Hunnic diadem from the Melitopol Museum, which was stolen by Russian occupiers," the investigation states. "Also found were armor from the 16th-19th centuries, including Polish hussar helmets, Iranian helmets, and coins from antiquity to the late Middle Ages."
Law enforcement previously exposed Horbatov for financing DNR terrorists, according to SBI. The former MP fled Kyiv for occupied territories on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion.
