Install

Get the latest updates as we post them — right on your browser

Today's paper. Last Updated: 02/08/2012

U.S. Returns Stolen Tsar Pendant

Reuters

The stolen 2.6-centimeter by 1.7-centimeter pendant of Peter the Great.
Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

The stolen 2.6-centimeter by 1.7-centimeter pendant of Peter the Great.

Click to view previous image Image 1 of 2 Click to view next image

The United States on Thursday returned home a stolen silver pendant that once belonged to Russia's last tsar and surfaced on a online auction site last year with a starting price of $500.

In a conciliatory gesture, U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle handed the pendant to Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin in a small ceremony that brought U.S. lawmen and Russian cultural agents to the ambassador's Spaso House residence just off Arbat.

"This is not just a story about a small medallion, it is also a big example of successful cooperation that is building a better relationship," Beyrle said.

The pendant was among more than 200 items that authorities say were stolen four years ago by a married Russian couple working at St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum, the Winter Palace of the tsars. It emerged on a U.S. auction site late last year.

Russian investigators had asked the United States to recover the pendant, which is 2.6 centimeters long and 1.7 centimeters wide and depicts a tiny portrait of 18th-century Tsar Peter the Great.

"We were able to locate the individual who had it, seize it and bring it back home," said Special-Agent-in-Charge Leigh Winchell, adding that it was found in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington.

He refused to identify who had the piece but said legal action against the person would take place.

The Federal Service for the Protection of Cultural Heritage said the pendant once belonged to Tsar Nicholas II, who was killed by the Bolsheviks after they swept to power in 1918.

It was among 220 items stolen from the Hermitage by the couple, said Alexander Kibovsky, the agency's head.

He added that the cash value of the pendant, which shows the long-haired, moustachioed Peter the Great clad in armor, was about $5,000, but that it was the cultural significance for Russians that made it "invaluable."




Tags

history Tsar



Also in News

Lavrov in Syria to Strongly Back Assad

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, sending a clear message that Russia intends to stand by its strongest ally in the Middle East amid an international outcry over the country's response to a civil revolt.

Campaign Mudslinging Taken to New Lows

If politics is a dirty business, then Russia is no exception.

Putin Stand-In Faces Zhirinovsky Fire

In Tuesday's second presidential debate of the campaign season, firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky harangued Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's levelheaded proxy over her patron's refusal to debate and alleged desire to rule for life.

Pro-Putin Song Is Web Hit

A schmaltzy music video hailing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as Russia's savior became a hit on the Russian Internet on Tuesday, with many bloggers and YouTube users poking fun at the song's hyperbolic lyrics.

Criminal Probe of Magnitsky, Hermitage Concluded

Interior Ministry investigators have wrapped up the case against lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and his employer, Hermitage Capital CEO William Browder.

FSB Upgrades from iPads to Pricey Typewriters

The Federal Security Service paid over 2 million rubles ($67,000) for an order of nearly 100 typewriters, or about 22,000 rubles per machine.




Discussion
The Moscow Times welcomes your comments and invites you to discuss topics with other readers. Your comment will be posted automatically to enable a live discussion. If you aren't familiar with our comments policy, you can read it here.

If you're a registered user, you can start typing your comment below. If not, take a moment to sign up. and then return to the article.

If your comment doesn't appear, contact us by using our web form.

Comments

Comments via Facebook

print


Comments

This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment



Tags
history Tsar


Most Read