An ancient Polovtsian sculpture has disappeared from a beach in Kharkiv
A stone Polovtsian sculpture dating from the 11th–13th centuries has disappeared from the beach in Zhuravlivka, Kharkiv.
"There used to be a stone Polovtsian sculpture on the beach. I study these sculptures and can confirm that it is authentic and dates back to the 11th–13th centuries. When I recently visited the beach, I saw that the statue was gone,” says Kharlamova.
According to her, it is not known exactly when the sculpture first appeared at the resort, but even before the full-scale Russian invasion, the archaeologist had approached the beach’s leaseholders—representatives of “Aquazhur”—with a request to transfer the artifact to the appropriate institutions.
“They simply ignored me. When I told the representative of what was then a paid beach that this sculpture should be handed over to a museum, she gave me a look as if I were joking. Perhaps people really didn’t view the statue as something valuable, but rather as a prop,” Kharlamova speculates.
The sculpture may have been brought from the Azov region, the researcher believes.
Currently, the municipal enterprise “Kharkivzelenbud” is responsible for the beach in question. The municipal enterprise’s press office told the agency’s correspondent that the sculpture was not present when the territory was taken over, adding that before the municipal workers began landscaping the area, the former tenants had the opportunity to remove their property.
“It is very unfortunate that while our defenders are evacuating such monuments from areas under fire, they are disappearing right here in our city. I urge anyone who may have taken the sculpture or knows where it is to contact me personally or the Museum of Archaeology at Karazin Kharkiv National University at 067-397-97-59," " says Kharlamova.
The beach in Zhuravlivka has been leased since January 17, 2008. The term of the agreement between the Kharkiv City Council and Contact Plus LLC was 49 years—until April 1, 2056. In 2018, the city council attempted to terminate this agreement through the courts but was denied.
In May 2026, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in an interview with Ukrinform that Zhuravlivka Island had returned to the ownership of the local community.
“I fought very hard, and I can say that we won this battle—and it really was a battle, as you can imagine! After all, land like this is attractive. Not only that, but they (the tenants—ed.) weren’t paying under this agreement, yet they were charging people money (for admission and passage—ed.). I can tell you what a war I went through and how many enemies I made,” the mayor said at the time.
According to the NGO “Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center,” “Contact Plus” LLC is linked to the business structures of former People’s Deputy Dmytro Shentsev of the now-banned “Party of Regions” and former Kharkiv Regional Council deputy Davit Chikhladze (twice as a member of the “Party of Regions” and once as a member of the “Revival” party).
Kharkiv-based archaeologist and researcher Alina Kharlamova drew attention to this and spoke to Ukrinform about it.
Eight people were injured as a result of strikes on the Kharkiv region.
Over the past 24 hours, Russian troops launched massive attacks on the Kherson region. As a result of the strikes, three people were killed, another 17 were wounded, and residential buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure were damaged.
Since the evening, Russian troops have attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region more than 20 times with drones and artillery. Four districts came under fire; a business, a private home, a supermarket, a gas station, and garages were damaged.
In Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, the roof of a non-residential building caught fire after debris from a drone fell on it. Emergency services are already on their way to the scene.
Russian troops attacked Zaporizhzhia on the morning of August 30. A fire broke out after a strike on warehouse facilities, but no one was injured.
