110,000 archaeological finds from Ukraine are stored in two Russian museums - it is impossible to return them. PHOTO
The online collections of the Hermitage and the State Historical Museum of Russia contain at least 110,000 archaeological finds that were taken from the territory of modern Ukraine in different historical periods. Among them, at least 5% are gold exhibits - more than 5,000 archaeological finds.
This is stated in a new large-scale study "Stolen Treasures" by Texty.org.ua, Censor.NET reports.
Most of the monuments were taken to Russia before the declaration of independence, although there are exceptions.
This is the first attempt to comprehend the scale of historical property taken from Ukraine to Russia. It is also the first attempt to systematise the exports by archaeological sites and historical periods.
The research shows that Russian museums have acquired many valuable finds from Scythian, Slavic, and Old Russian times that were discovered in Crimea, Kyiv, Poltava, Katerynoslav, Chernihiv, and other regions of Ukraine. Most of the artefacts are parts of ancient ceramics, tools, etc. There are also real priceless jewels made of gold and precious stones. But all of the finds are historical heritage and have scientific value for the history of Ukraine, which Russia is trying to appropriate.
110,000 is far from an exhaustive list of Ukrainian archaeological finds stored in Russia's two largest museums, the Hermitage and the State Historical Museum.
Firstly, online catalogues do not contain all available museum objects. Secondly, Russian museum workers try to hide the most valuable ones by inventing various tricks in the descriptions. Therefore, this number is only a starting point for further research.
"It is legally impossible to return the exhibits mentioned in this article to Ukraine," says scholar Denys Yashnyi, who acted as an expert in this article. - "The fact is that at the time of export, Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire.
Among the most valuable Ukrainian finds appropriated by Russia are those from Scythian burial mounds (Cast Grave, Vitova Grave, Oguz, Kul-Oba, Solokha, Chortomlyk) and ancient cities in Crimea (Chersonesos Tavriya, Nymphaea, Pantikapaion).
