34,872 museum items have been stolen from 6 museum institutions in 4 de-occupied regions of Ukraine, which is confirmed by documentation. This was reported to the journalist of UNN by the Department for Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications in response to a request.
Details
According to the information available to the MCSC, 34,872 museum items have been stolen from 6 museum institutions in 4 de-occupied regions of Ukraine, which is confirmed by documentation.
The ministry emphasized that in 2023, it sent a letter to regional state (military) administrations with a request to provide information regarding museums located in the de-occupied territories of the regions, including the number of stolen museum items, and, in case of changes in circumstances, to promptly update the information.
"The MCSC receives information about destroyed or missing for other reasons museum items from the collections of museums located, including in the de-occupied territories, but it does not provide a complete picture regarding such items. Currently, work on compiling lists of lost museum items from the state part of the Museum Fund of Ukraine from museums is ongoing. Information about stolen museum items was received when museum staff had the opportunity to assess the issue of remaining and stolen museum items directly in the museum buildings," the ministry noted.
Note
The Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis the draft law on criminal liability for crimes against cultural heritage, including illegal excavations, damage to cultural heritage sites.