Russia has sent to Ukraine a "group of specialists" smuggling cultural property from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia. This was discovered by an international team of academics and digital imagery experts who are tracking thefts, according to The Guardian.
"There is a possibility it is all part of undermining the identity of Ukraine as a separate country by implying legitimate Russian ownership of all their exhibits," said anthropologist Brian Daniels.
Daniels and his colleagues monitored the looting and destruction of Ukraine's cultural property from a laboratory in the US state of Virginia. They found a pattern in the crimes.
The trail of theft primarily focuses on Scythian gold. "There is now very strong evidence this is a purposive Russian move, with specific paintings and ornaments targeted and taken out to Russia," Daniels said. "These items are visually stunning, and there are now so many reports of thefts it is evident that it is a strategy," he added.
At the same time, the scientist is not sure whether the monetary value was the most important factor for the robbers or whether the items were chosen because of their cultural significance. He said the thefts usually followed interrogations of museum curators and custodians.
"We have a growing concern for the museum workers and security staff, particularly when they find themselves behind Russian lines," Daniels said.
In April 2022, the military and representatives of the russian occupation administration stole historical and historical artifacts from the Melitopol Museum of Local Lore in the Zaporizhia region. In this regard, law enforcement officers opened criminal proceedings for violating the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).