Orthodox priest, Spaniards caught trying to sell Ukraine’s Scythian gold for €60m
![Orthodox priest, Spaniards caught trying to sell Ukraine’s Scythian gold for €60m Orthodox priest, Spaniards caught trying to sell Ukraine’s Scythian gold for €60m](https://wsrv.nl/?output=webp&url=www.liga.net/images/general/2023/10/24/20231024123800-8125.jpg&w=620&fit=cover&dpr=2)
An Orthodox priest, two Ukrainians, and three Spaniards have been detained while trying to sell in Madrid Scythian gold worth EUR 60 million, stolen from Ukraine in 2014-2020, Ukraine’s security service, or SBU, said on Tuesday.
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In an operation together with the Spanish police, SBU detained five smugglers and seized 11 gold items of Ukraine's cultural heritage worth EUR 60 million.
![Photo: SBU](https://www.liga.net/images/general/2023/10/24/20231024124137-5710.jpg)
Those include gold earrings, a pendant, chokers and a pectoral dating back to the eighth and fourth centuries BC, SBU said.
![Photo: SBU](https://www.liga.net/images/general/2023/10/24/20231024123904-9437.jpg)
The investigation believes the Ukrainians and Spaniards were illegally moving the artefacts out of Ukraine for six years.
![Photo: SBU](https://www.liga.net/images/general/2023/10/24/20231024124008-1267.jpg)
The Spanish police said that the items allegedly belonged to a Ukrainian orthodox church but did not elaborate further.
The smugglers were caught red-handed during another shipment, SBU added.