Four paintings out of 24 artworks stolen from a Dutch museum more than ten years ago have been recovered in Ukraine.

The works were "in the possession of criminal groups", Ukraine's foreign minister said, as reported by the BBC.

The four recovered paintings, from the 16th-17th centuries, are valued at €50,000 ($56,000). They were taken the Westfries Museum in the city of Hoorn in 2005.

In December, the museum released a statement that Ukranian ultra-nationalists were asking millions for the return of the entire group of stolen artworks. Earlier in the year, the militia reportedly contacted the Dutch embassy in Kiev, first demanding 50-million euros in "ransom" and later a 5 million-euro ($5.4 million) "finder's fee" for the art.