NIZHNIY NOVGOROD, July 16. /TASS/. Showpieces from the Russian state museum fund at exhibitions in unfriendly countries were returned to Russia, special envoy of the Russian President for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy told TASS on Saturday.

"All the exhibits in the state museum fund of the Russian Federation, all of them returned to homeland. Items left, two or three of them, in my opinion, are artworks owned by private collectors. Serious legal efforts are underway. I believe it will be possible to solve this issue eventually but this is rather difficult when their owners are under European sanctions," the special envoy said.

About 1,500 exhibits were returned to the country from exhibitions staged overseas, the Russian Ministry of Culture said in late June.