The theft of Ukraine's cultural property by the Russian Federation is a war crime. The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) is launching a new section «Stolen Heritage» within the «War and Art» project. It should help prevent illegal trade in art and antiquities stolen by Russian occupiers in Ukraine during the war. The database already includes 245 cultural objects.
«Along with cultural property, Russia is trying to steal a part of our history. Yes, this is a war crime. If today we allow the invaders to destroy the basic principles of protecting world culture, what legacy will we leave for future generations? The NACP, being sure that thousands of people in the world are not ready to accept the terror imposed by Russia, in cooperation with the Regional Center for Human Rights, created a tool that will help restore justice. A unified database of cultural property stolen during the war from Ukrainian private and public collections will allow everyone to contribute to this victory. Our common task is to find every small piece of the world's cultural heritage stolen by Russia and bring it back,» said NACP Head Oleksandr Novikov.The Russian Federation is systematically looting and destroying Ukraine's cultural heritage, including archaeological sites and museum values. This activity has been an instrument of its aggressive policy since 2014. The stolen cultural property is transported across the territory of the Russian Federation, becoming part of exhibitions, private collections of Russians, and the subjects of research by various institutions. Both the illegal actions (excavations, engineering works) and the stolen property are used for propaganda purposes by the Russian Federation, in particular to fuel the «Russian world" by demonstrating the so-called «rich Russian culture». Documenting, publishing, and disseminating facts about such items and their illegal origins should significantly limit the opportunities for their illicit trafficking. And most importantly, it should help return them to Ukraine's control.
«We are investigating the destructive impact of the Russian occupation on cultural heritage. We are collecting information to identify specific individuals and institutions of the Russian Federation involved in the theft and destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage in Crimea and other occupied territories. We certainly supported the leadership of the NACP as a state institution in stopping the illicit trafficking of our national values. Currently, we are covering the artifacts stolen by the Russians, but in the future, we are sure, the question will arise about specific individuals who have committed and continue to commit war crimes against the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people,» emphasized Serhiy Mokrenyuk, Head of the RCHR.In the section «Stolen Heritage», in addition to the image of each object and information about it, you can also learn about the circumstances of its theft. The section is available here.
