Finnish Customs announced on Saturday that it had released a Russian art consignment seized the previous weekend.
Sami RakshitThe head of the Customs Control Department said that the consignment left the Vaalimaa border crossing, where the authorities confiscated works of art a week earlier on suspicion that the consignment had violated EU sanctions.
The Hermitage of St. Petersburg thanked the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Telegram supporting the return of the arts.
On Saturday, Moscow told the news agency AFP that an art broadcast seized by Finnish customs had been returned to Russia.
Last week, Finnish customs seized works of art, including paintings, statues and antiques, and I suspect that the consignment violated EU sanctions, which also prohibit the transfer of works of art to Russia.
The art, valued at € 42 million, had been borrowed from Russian galleries for museums in Italy and Japan.
Finland published the confiscated art after Brussels imposed sanctions to allow the transport of museum art. The Finnish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that art could return to Russia.
Prior to his release, the Kremlin had invited the Finnish ambassador to discuss the seizure, which Russia considered illegal.
Source: The Nordic Page
