Berlin
Berlin has officially notified Russia of its intention to return over 2,900 icons that have been seized by the German customs during smuggling attempts since the 1990s, and the cargo is now being prepared for transportation, the Russian embassy in the country told Sputnik.
In late September, the German government’s commissioner for culture and media told Sputnik that talks on the transfer of the pieces of art had mostly been completed. The Moscow Patriarchate said that the time line for the transfer is unknown so far.
“In early 2020, the German side officially informed the embassy of its decision to return more than 2,900 icons and objects of sacred significance to the Russian Federation.
Currently, according to our German partners, these items are in the Customs Administration of the Finance Ministry of Germany, which is engaged in their packaging for further transportation to Russia,” the diplomatic mission said.
The embassy expects Germany to provide more detailed information by the end of this year with regard to the cargo’s readiness for shipment.
The Russian diplomats added that the Culture Ministry’s experts had provided Berlin with “compelling” evidence of the Russian origin of the icons.—AFP
