Photo: The former director of the Mariupol museum handed over unique paintings to the occupiers
Law enforcement officials have formally charged, in absentia, the former director of the Mariupol Local History Museum, who voluntarily handed over unique masterpieces of world art to the Russian invaders.
Under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the woman is charged with violating the laws and customs of war.
Through her actions, she facilitated the illegal appropriation of Mariupol’s cultural heritage by representatives of the occupying administration.
Investigators have established that the suspect helped the enemy appropriate unique works of art from the collection of the Arkhip Kuindzhi Art Museum.
These include five original paintings by world-renowned masters Ivan Aivazovsky, Arkhip Kuindzhi, and Grigory Kalmykov.
According to preliminary estimates by experts, the total market value of these stolen masterpieces exceeds 26 million hryvnias.
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the official, having free access to the museum’s storage facility, illegally took possession of the paintings that had been on display at the Arkhip Kuindzhi Art Museum.
The perpetrator initially transported the valuable exhibits to her own home to hide them from shelling and her colleagues. Later, after reaching an agreement with representatives of the occupying authorities, she personally handed the paintings over to the invaders.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
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