REACTION TO DODIK: Ukraine initiated criminal proceedings regarding illegal export of icon

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine confirmed to Radio Free Europe (RSE) on Friday, January 15, that the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has initiated proceedings regarding the "illegal export" of an icon that the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Milorad Dodik, presented to the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov.

"The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has initiated proceedings in a criminal case of illegal export," said Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in a written statement to RSE.

The statement states that it is an undisputed fact that the icon, presented to Lavrov in mid-December 2020, originates from the territory of Ukraine.

Milorad Dodik, in an interview with the Srna agency on January 14, said that he had never received a response from Ukraine as to whether they were looking for the icon, nor had any information been provided regarding it.

"If Ukraine proves that it requested the icon before the date I had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, I will accept to hand it over to them," Dodik said.

In response to this statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said:

"Ukraine rejects the language of conditions and ultimatums from the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik. It is an undisputed fact that the icon originates from the territory of Ukraine.”

They also stated that they expect the BiH authorities to provide assistance within the criminal investigation so that this artifact can be returned to Ukraine "as soon as possible.”

"We expect that, instead of turning the icon into a hostage of domestic political struggle, the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina will provide assistance within the criminal investigation," they said in the statement.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, published on his Twitter profile on January 6 that Ukraine continues to demand the return of the icon from Luhansk.

"The Ukrainian icon burned the hands, even of experienced cynical Russian diplomats who disowned it. But Mr. Dodik continues to lie, surpassing his older friends. Ukraine continues to demand the return of the icon," Kuleba wrote.

The Ministry reminded that both Ukraine and BiH are signatory states to the UNESCO Convention of 1970 on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

"In accordance with Article 7 of this Convention, signatory states undertake to prohibit the import of cultural property stolen from a museum or a religious or secular public monument or similar institution into another signatory state of this Convention, and to take appropriate steps to discover and return any cultural property at the request of the country of origin," the Ministry said.

Dodik presented the gilded icon to Lavrov on December 14.

After that, the Embassy of Ukraine in BiH sent a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH in which they asked for "detailed information about the origin of this item of Ukrainian cultural heritage.”

On December 23, Russia returned to the BiH Embassy in Moscow an icon that is over 300 years old and was found in Luhansk, in the occupied territory of Ukraine, after doubts were raised that it was a Ukrainian national treasure.

The BiH Prosecutor's Office formed a case on this matter on December 18.