An oil painting by Mikhail Panin, called ‘The Secret Departure Of Ivan The Terrible Before The Oprichnina,’ which disappeared from the Dnipropetrovsk Museum of Art during World War II and subsequently ended up in the United States, is returning to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States said.
“This is the first successful case of cooperation at the official state level of Ukraine and the United States in the return of cultural heritage items illegally withdrawn abroad,” the embassy said on Facebook on Monday.
The return of the painting became possible thanks to joint work of the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine with the FBI, the U.S. Department of State and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
“The return of the painting to Ukraine is the result of joint efforts for many years and a clear manifestation not only of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States but also of friendship between our peoples,” Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly said.
