The "director" of a Crimean museum has been charged with stealing exhibits from Kherson

The so-called director of the Tavrida Central Museum in the temporarily occupied Crimea has been notified that he is suspected of involvement in the mass theft of museum artifacts from Kherson. 

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. 

According to the investigation, in the fall of 2022, the suspect, acting on orders from the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation, personally selected, organized the packing, and arranged for the removal of exhibits from the Oleksiy Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum, which are state property of Ukraine.

It has been established that he acted in collusion with the so-called “minister of culture” of the Kherson region’s occupation administration, his deputy, and the “director” of the Kherson Museum.

In total, nearly 11,000 items were stolen from the museum’s collection, which numbered approximately 14,000 exhibits prior to the full-scale invasion.

The suspect’s actions have been classified under articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine that pertain to violations of the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of individuals acting in concert. The maximum penalty provides for imprisonment for a term of 8 to 12 years.

The issue of placing the suspect on the wanted list is currently being decided, and other individuals involved in the crime are being identified.

Law enforcement agencies note that the Russian Federation is systematically removing Ukrainian cultural artifacts from the occupied territories, and such actions are part of a deliberate policy.

It is also emphasized that international accountability for these crimes is inevitable, regardless of the whereabouts of those involved.