Russia eyeing return of Amber Room

MOSCOW, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Russian officials would reportedly want the Amber Room to be returned to Russia if a recently unearthed treasure is discovered to be the historical artifact.

Ria Novosti reported Friday that Russian Culture Ministry head Mikhail Shvydkoi is eyeing the return of the 18th century chamber, which has been missing since 1945.

"If, hypothetically speaking, the room still exists, there will be no difficulties from a legal point of view" Shvydkoi said of the chamber's potential return to Russian soil.

Treasure hunters have discovered an unidentified underground site in Germany which may be the historical chamber from Russia's Catherine Palace, Ria Novosti said.

While Shvydkoi said Russia would welcome the return of the chamber, which was stolen by Nazis during World War II, he said the decorative room would likely not be intact.

The Russian press agency amber decays when left in the dark for extended periods of time. The work to uncover the possible remains of the Amber Room is expected to take several weeks to complete.