Robbery of Ukrainian museums by occupiers has become largest since World War II - The New York Times
Russian occupants stole tens of thousands of artworks and historical exhibits, including antiquities, in Ukraine.
This is stated in article of The New York Times, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to LegueBusinessInform.
The invaders illegally seized dozens of thousands of exhibits from museums in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine - from ancient Scythian gold to modern avant-garde works, the newspaper writes. According to experts interviewed by the newspaper, this is the largest theft of works of art since the Second World War.
At the same time, experts believe that the purpose of this theft is not only to seize material and historical values, but also to deprive Ukraine of its cultural heritage.
The publication writes that according to the prosecutor's office and museums of Ukraine, only in Kherson, Russians stole more than 15,000 objects of art and historical significance. According to available data, the occupiers robbed or completely destroyed more than 30 museums, including in Mariupol, Melitopol and Kherson. These figures refer only to the part of cultural property that has been documented, so it is expected that the actual scale of theft is much higher.
According to eyewitnesses (security guards and museum staff), the looting was centralized and systematic, with exhibits being seized under the guidance of Russian specialists.
According to James Ratcliffe, senior advisor to The Art Loss Register (an organization that searches for stolen art objects), this is the implementation of a plan prepared in advance by the occupiers. "This is not the same as if a soldier hid a silver bowl in his backpack," he said.
At the same time, according to Ratcliffe, every international auction house that receives items from Ukraine will check them extremely carefully.
The publication notes that international organizations, including UNESCO and Interpol, have been dealing with art objects and historical exhibits stolen by the occupiers from Ukrainian museums since 2014, when Russians seized the funds of Ukrainian museums in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
