KIEV, Dec. 8 – Ukraine's Interior Ministry has begun searching for Dutch paintings stolen back in 2005, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin reveals.

"The Dutch side raised the issue during the visit of the Ukrainian President to [the] Netherlands. Our Ministry of Interior is working on this," Klimkin told reporters when asked the question by Interfax on Tuesday.

Western media reported earlier on the alleged involvement of the former chief of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) Valentyn Nalyvaichenko and leader of the Svoboda all-Ukrainian union Oleh Tiahnybok in the ransom demands with respect to the paintings previously stolen from a museum in Netherlands.