According to AP news agency, an Amsterdam court appeals that a collection of historical artefacts from Crimea must be returned to Ukraine. The historical artefacts had been preserved in a Dutch museum for years.

The verdict was the latest incident in a long-running legal battle over the fate of artefacts resulting from Russia's takeover of Crimea.

The pieces, including a solid gold Scythian helmet and a golden neck ornament each weighing more than a kilogram.

In 2014, a month after the Allard Pierson Museum inaugurated the "Crimea ' Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea" exhibition, Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, causing a disagreement about the loaned items should be returned to.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter and celebrated "the long-awaited victory" and expressed gratitude to the court for a "fair verdict."

While the treasure hails from Crimea and hence "may be considered as the part of Crimean cultural heritage," the judgment on Tuesday stated that it is also "part of the cultural legacy of the Ukrainian State" as it has existed since Ukraine's independence in 1991.

"The historical interest that lies in preserving the museum artefacts is a public interest of the Ukrainian State that carries enormous weight," the court stated in a statement.

Image Courtesy: AP