The main operational and search department of the Zhytomyr Border Guard Detachment, as part of international cooperation to combat cross-border crime, has helped recover stolen artwork.

Ukrainian border agency operatives obtained information and conducted an investigation on a Ukrainian citizen. This individual had previously traveled to Poland and was seeking buyers for the painting "Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well" by Jan Linsen, dated 1629. Potential buyers were also sought within Ukraine.

The painting is of exceptional value and had been on Interpol's list of stolen artworks for many years, having been stolen from the Dutch Westfries Museum on January 9, 2005. A total of 24 paintings and 70 silver artifacts were stolen at that time, many of which are still missing.

Border operatives gathered sufficient evidence pointing to the illegal activities of the individual in question.

This led to coordinated actions between the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and the Border Guard of Poland. When Polish colleagues confirmed the provided information, border guards from both countries, along with representatives from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, conducted a series of joint operations.

As a result of the plan, involving officers from the Operational-Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the Border Guard Service, the Department of Operational and Search Activities of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and a liaison officer at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the stolen artwork was recovered.

The Ukrainian citizen has been detained and given a three-month arrest as a preventive measure. He has been charged, and the investigation is being conducted by the District Prosecutor's Office in Krakow, Poland.