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Moscow thanks US for return of historic documents related to Russia’s last tsar

The documents include original decrees by Tsar Nicholas II on bestowing the Russian Empire’s state awards, available in a single copy and never published in the original form

MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its gratitude to the US Embassy in Russia and US law-enforcement agencies for the return of historic documents, dated the rule of Tsar Nicholas II (1894-1917) and stolen from Russian archives in the 1990s.

"[The documents] include original decrees by Tsar Nicholas II on bestowing the Russian Empire’s state awards, available in a single copy and never published in the original form," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "We express our gratitude to US law enforcement agencies and the US Embassy in Moscow for their contribution in restoring the historical justice."

According to the ministry, similar measures are taken when Russian documents and memorabilia of historic significance, declared as missing from Russian archives and museums, resurface on the US antiquarian market.

"Joint meticulous work of the two states’ relevant government agencies to locate missing valuables and return them to Russia continues for many years, demonstrating a great positive potential of a constructive approach to bilateral ties," the ministry added.