Crimean treasures must go to Kiev: court

A priceless collection of gold artifacts from Crimea that was on loan to a Dutch museum when Russia seized the peninsula must be returned to Ukraine and not Crimea, a Dutch court has ruled, in a judgement likely to anger Moscow.

Kiev and the four museums have been wrangling over the fate of the archeological treasures, including gems, helmets and scabbards, which were on loan to Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March, 2014.

A spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin tweeted: "This is an important victory for Ukraine."

There was no immediate reaction from Russian officials, but the ruling was likely to anger Moscow which insists it has full sovereigny over the Black Sea peninsula which houses a major Russian naval base.