Russian Troops Loot 80% of Museum Collections While Withdrawing from Kherson

Local Police Launch Investigation into Cultural and Artifacts Looting
Claims of Animals Being Smuggled Out of Zoo in Kherson

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian forces looted the collections displayed in the Kherson Historical Museum during their withdrawal from Kherson. Photo by Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Twitter

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] There are claims that the Russian military looted about 80% of the collections from museums and art galleries as they retreated from Kherson in southern Ukraine.

On the 22nd (local time), according to the New York Times (NYT), Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine's Minister of Culture, stated, "About 80% of the museum collections have disappeared," adding, "Most of the missing collections were the most valuable items kept in the museums."

Anatoliy Hryaznov, who was in charge of artwork planning and exhibitions at the Kherson History Museum, said, "The Russian military looted most of the works I spent my life collecting," and added, "Twenty years of my life have disappeared." Svitlana Duminska, a member of the Kherson City Council, said, "The works stolen by the Russian military were the most impressive collections kept at the History Museum in Ukraine," and "After the Russian military left, the museum was left in ruins."

According to reports, the Russian military also looted major artworks displayed at an art gallery near the History Museum. They took many works over 100 years old, including famous 17th-century religious paintings and modern art from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The collections missing from Kherson's museums and art galleries are presumed to have been transferred to museums and galleries in the Crimean Peninsula. The NYT reported that images of missing collections, including works by the famous Ukrainian painter Ivan Pokhitonov, being moved to Crimean art galleries have been captured on Ukrainian social media (SNS).

Local police have determined that the Russian military's looting of cultural and artistic items constitutes a war crime and have launched related investigations.

In mid-June, there were also claims that the Russian military smuggled animals from a zoo in Kherson. Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, posted on Twitter, "As the Russian military withdrew from Kherson, they even stole animals from the local zoo," releasing a video. The footage shows soldiers presumed to be Russian forcibly lifting llamas and raccoons from the zoo and loading them into a white van. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense condemned, "The Russian military looted everything in Kherson, including paintings from art galleries, artifacts from museums, and rare books from libraries."