Artifacts taken illegally from areas of Ukraine under Russian occupation are being sold on the black market, according to the Ukrainian minister of culture.
Mykola Tochytskyi said on Friday: “One million seven hundred thousand items of our cultural heritage have been stolen from our occupied territories: from archeological finds to museum collections, which the Russian Federation appropriated, violating all possible norms of international law.”
“And if in the old days when Russians stole… our history, they took exhibits to the [Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg] or to museums in Moscow, now they are successfully selling them on the black market,” he added.
“And if in the old days when Russians stole… our history, they took exhibits to the [Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg] or to museums in Moscow, now they are successfully selling them on the black market,” he added.
Tochytskyi said some items sold on the black market are being returned to Ukraine, thanks to help from international specialists. He added that he often receives such items personally during foreign visits.
The culture minister accused Russian officials of involvement in the looting of valuable Ukrainian artifacts, and said that Ukraine put sanctions on Russian cultural institutions and museums in February.
He said the sanctions targeted 55 individuals and three legal entities “whose participation in the theft, damage, and devastation of Ukrainian cultural heritage we clearly confirmed.”
Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine has brought significant challenges to the preservation of Ukrainian cultural heritage, with many cultural sites being damaged as a result of military actions.
One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key justifications for invading Ukraine in 2022 was his unsubstantiated claim that Ukraine was created by Russia and is an inalienable part of Russia’s own history and culture.
In February, Poland’s culture ministry announced that it was organizing assistance and protection for Ukrainian cultural institutions through the support of Polish museums, libraries, archives and other bodies.
The culture minister accused Russian officials of involvement in the looting of valuable Ukrainian artifacts, and said that Ukraine put sanctions on Russian cultural institutions and museums in February.
He said the sanctions targeted 55 individuals and three legal entities “whose participation in the theft, damage, and devastation of Ukrainian cultural heritage we clearly confirmed.”
Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine has brought significant challenges to the preservation of Ukrainian cultural heritage, with many cultural sites being damaged as a result of military actions.
One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key justifications for invading Ukraine in 2022 was his unsubstantiated claim that Ukraine was created by Russia and is an inalienable part of Russia’s own history and culture.
In February, Poland’s culture ministry announced that it was organizing assistance and protection for Ukrainian cultural institutions through the support of Polish museums, libraries, archives and other bodies.
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