They tried to extract an old violin signed with the name of the famous Italian master Antonio Stradivari from the Odessa region of Ukraine. At the same time, the musical instrument is dated a year after his death – 1742, the Ukrainian edition “Strana.ua” writes, referring to the press service of the Odessa customs and the State Border Service.
According to the regional border service, a citizen of Ukraine tried to take the violin, among other things, to Bulgaria. The border guards found him during the inspection at the international checkpoint “Orlovka”. The Ukrainian assured that he had nothing to declare.
“In the luggage compartment, among various bundles and suitcases, a bag with a violin was found in a cardboard box at the bottom. Odessa customs said ANTONIUS STRADIOARIUS CREMONENSIS FACIBAT ANNO 1742 on the lower deck of the musical instrument.
The violin was confiscated for examination. The border guards reported the smuggling to the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police.