On 30 January 2007, the Press Department of the State Hermitage issued the following information communiqué:

The State Hermitage announces that reports published in certain media sources regarding a cross stolen from the museum in Antalya do not correspond to reality, to put it mildly. These reports allege that the cross was found by Rosokhrankultura during its investigation of the Hermitage collection.

In point of fact, a Byzantine processional cross dating from the 11th-12th centuries was recently offered to the State Hermitage's Acquisitions Commission. In keeping with standard procedures and also as a result of the appearance on the Moscow antiques market of Byzantine objects of doubtful provenance, the State Hermitage went through Rosokhrankultura to access an international electronic data base of stolen objects. A similar cross appeared there. In this connection, on instructions from Interpol, the cross, which was then being held in the Hermitage's Acquisitions Commission, was arrested pending clarification of the circumstances and establishment of the legal property rights. All distortions of facts cease to amaze us, however the vulgar nature of typical commentaries even on serious information channels whenever there is news concerning the Hermitage does become annoying.