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Russia loots 164 ancient artifacts from occupied Crimea

Ukraine’s intelligence identifies 260 Russians involved in stealing cultural artifacts from occupied territories, including 164 archaeological items from ancient Crimean cities, as part of a campaign to erase Ukrainian identity.

byOlena Mukhina

24/03/2025

3 minute read

The 6th century Roman basilica built on the site of an earlier temple in the ancient city of Tauric Chersonesus in Sevastopol. Image: Wikimedia

Russia loots 164 ancient artifacts from occupied Crimea

Russian occupiers have stolen at least 164 archaeological artifacts from temporarily occupied Crimea, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

Currently, the War & Sanctions portal, Ukraine’s key project tracking sponsors and enablers of Russia’s war, has compiled data on 996 stolen cultural assets and identified 260 individuals involved in looting Ukraine’s cultural heritage, distorting its history, and erasing Ukrainian identity.

HUR has also published information on 14 Russian museum officials directly engaged in propaganda and facilitating the theft of Ukrainian cultural property from occupied territories.

Among the confirmed cases is the illegal removal of 164 archaeological items excavated from the ancient cities of Nymphaion and Panticapaeum in Crimea.

Since 2022, Russian museums have been systematically conducting propaganda campaigns in occupied Ukrainian territories, including exhibitions, lectures, and educational programs designed to “legitimize the occupation, integrate Ukrainian museums into Russia’s cultural space, and destroy Ukrainian identity,” HUR states.

Key figures involved include:

Iryna Zhukova, director of the “All-Russian Museum of History and Ethnography,” who organized the 2024 exhibition “Unity Through the Ages” in occupied Luhansk to promote the so-called “historical link” between Donbas and Russia;

Oleksandr Shkolnik, director of Russia’s “Museum of the Great Patriotic War,” whose institution hosted training sessions in 2023 for museum staff from occupied Donetsk, aimed at advancing Russian historical narratives.

The list also includes Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the “History of the Fatherland” Foundation, and the Russian Historical Society, which operates seven branches in occupied Ukrainian territories under his leadership.

Earlier, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine said that Russian attacks damaged 1,333 cultural heritage sites and 2,185 cultural infrastructure facilities across Ukraine.

The damage spans 18 oblasts and Kyiv city, with Kharkiv Oblast recording the highest number at 324 sites. Other severely affected areas include Kherson Oblast, with 255 sites; Donetsk Oblast, with 164; and Odesa Oblast, with 137 damaged monuments.

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