Scandal in Boryspil airport: chess cup broken, diamond stolen

A precious diamond was stolen from a diamond-encrusted cup, which had been won by the Ukrainian National Chess Team in the World-Wide Chess Olympiad in Germany, in the main airport of Ukraine. The cup itself was broken.

According to Delo daily, Leonid Tymoshenko, a representative of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, was accompanying the cup on a flight from Frankfurt to Kyiv.

After landing, L.Tymoshenko saw that his bag had been opened up. The cup, which is named after the famous Georgian chess player Nona Gaprindashvili, was broken and the stone had vanished.

The group carrying the cup had flown through Frankfurt on their way back to Kyiv. It was in Frankfurt that they were forced to check the cup into baggage. On the previous flight from Dresden they were allowed to take it onboard as a carry-on piece.

Viktor Petrov, president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, has already filed a report with the police. The incident may turn into an international scandal and negatively influence the country’s image.

The Ukrainian Chess Federation blames Ukrainian customs officials for the incident. Mykhaylo Kravets, deputy director of aviation security at Boryspil Airport, confirmed that the theft really took place, and emphasized that it were loaders who must be blamed for the crime.

The case is under investigation.