RF steals over 160 archaeological artifacts from Crimea - Defense Intelligence
The russian federation troops stole at least 164 archaeological treasures from the temporarily occupied Crimea, which were found during excavations of the ancient cities of Nymphaion and Panticapaeum. This was reported by the press service of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Monday, March 24.
In particular, the Defense Intelligence published data on 14 russian museum workers who are engaged in propaganda and contribute to the theft of Ukrainian cultural values in the temporarily occupied territories.
It is reported that since 2022, russian museums have been conducting systematic propaganda activities in the occupied territories: organizing exhibitions, lectures and educational programs aimed at legitimizing the occupation. Their goal is to integrate Ukrainian museums into the russian cultural space and destroy Ukrainian identity.
Among the persons involved:
- Director of the "All-russian Historical and Ethnographic Museum" Irina Zhukova, who in 2024 organized the exhibition "Unity through the Ages" in the temporarily occupied part of the Luhansk Region to promote the "historical connection of Donbas with russia;
- Director of the "Museum of the Great Patriotic War" Aleksandr Shkolnik, with whose participation in 2023 training was held at the museum for museum workers from Donetsk on the promotion of russian history among museum visitors.
The Defense Intelligence added that the War&Sanctions portal collected data on 996 stolen objects and 260 people involved in the robbery of Ukrainian cultural heritage, distortion of history and erasure of Ukrainian identity.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Prosecutor General's Office announced the launch of an investigation into the fact of the destruction by the occupiers of the historical cultural monument Kurgan Did in the temporarily occupied Mariupol, Donetsk Region. The monument dates back to the 5th millennium BC.