Russia to return glass seized during WWII

Russia’s lower house of parliament has approved the return of six 14th century stained-glass panels which were seized from a church in Germany after the Second World War.

An overwhelming majority of members of the State Duma voted in favour of a Bill which would see the return of the panels to the Marienkirche in Frankfurt an der Oder on the Polish border.

Russia returned 111 stained-glass panels from the same church in 2002.

They had been held in the Hermitage museum in St Petersburg.

The Bill must be approved by the upper house before it goes to the President for signing.

Russia and Germany have long sparred over thousands of valuable objects taken from Germany in the waning days of the Second World War.