Finland allowed to return to Russia detained paintings from museums

Finnish customs detained canvases that were returning from exhibitions in Italy and Japan at the beginning of the week. The country's Foreign Ministry allowed them to be returned to RUSSIA. The Russian Ministry of Culture explained that the exhibits do not fall under sanctionsEuropean Union

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland allowed the return of Russian cultural property detained at the Finnish border to Russia, the agency reports. The Foreign Ministry explained that in connection with the introduction of new EU sanctions on Saturday, April 9, changes to the sanctions legislation will come into force. These will include the possibility for EU member states to “issue permits for the transport to Russia of cultural objects related to official cultural cooperation”.

As the HEAD of the Russian Ministry of Culture Olga Lyubimova said in her TELEGRAM, the department organizes the return of collections from Russian museums, the items of which were detained by the Finnish customs. “The works are expected to return to the Russian Federation next weekend,” she wrote.

Shvydkoi announced the detention of paintings from Russian museums in Finland Politics

We are talking about paintings and other museum exhibits from the Hermitage, the Tsarskoe Selo, Pavlovsk and Gatchina museum-reserves, the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Museum of Oriental Art. They were presented at two exhibitions in Italy: “Grand Tour. Myth, Vision and Feeling of Italy” (running in Milan until 27 March) and “Form of Infinity” (ended in Udine on 23 March). In addition, the customs detained works of art from the Pushkin Museum, which were exhibited at the Chiba Museum in Japan.

According to Lyubimova, the European Commission clarified that exhibits that participated in European exhibitions are not included in the sanctions list. “The decision of the European Commission makes it possible to proceed with the further transportation of paintings that were previously detained at the Finnish customs,” she said.

At the beginning of the week, Finnish customs announced the detention of three consignments of goods “falling under EU sanctions” at the Finnish-Russian border. Later, Mikhail Shvydkoi, special representative of the President of Russia for international cultural cooperation, clarified that they were talking about paintings from Russian museums; cultural property stuck at customs, as it is in this place that the border between Russia and the EU passes. He said that the Ministry of Culture and Russian museums took up the problem, and promised that the canvases would be returned to museum funds "after a series of bureaucratic procedures."

On April 7, Finnish Ambassador Antti Helanteria was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The ministry protested to the diplomat and stated that the return of exhibits to the country should not be subject to restrictions.

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