The leader of Russia’s southern Republic of North Ossetia, Taymuraz Mamsurov, has said that Scythian gold which now is being exhibited in Netherlands is unlikely to returned to its original home in Crimea anytime soon. In March, when annexation of Crimea by the Russian military was complete, Mamsurov stressed that Scythian gold should be returned to Crimea. He noted that his concern stems from the fact that Ossetians are considered descendants of the ancient Scythian people. The following is the text of the statement posted on his Instagram account on 16 September:
‘I was asked today about the fate of Scythian gold from the collections of Crimean museums on display in the Netherlands. There were few hopes from the very beginning that the gold would be returned. I will say frankly that I did not expect any reaction whatsoever to the address I made in March, as the historic heritage of Scythians became a subject of political speculations and political bargaining. As far as I know, part of the collections has been handed over to #Kyiv and this process is likely to continue. Politicians involved in such things exist just for a moment in the historic sense; no one will ever remember them. However, Scythian gold has existed for centuries and will do so in the future. I think things will fall into place. Scythian gold as well as the exhibits we saw today will be available to people, especially to those for whom it represents proof of their history.’
