The SBU has announced charges against a Putin-backed archaeologist for looting cultural heritage in Crimea.
The Security Service of Ukraine, in collaboration with the National Police and the Prosecutor's Office, has gathered evidence against a citizen of the Russian Federation who is illegally involved in the plundering of Ukraine's cultural heritage in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Experts estimate the damage caused by his activities at over 200 million hryvnias.
This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the press service of the SBU.
The individual in question is the head of the archaeology department at the "State Hermitage" in Saint Petersburg. In 2014, he led an archaeological expedition in Crimea, which was personally attended by the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
For over 10 years, this group has been conducting illegal excavations at cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, particularly at the archaeological complex "Ancient City of Myrmecium" in the Kerch area.
According to the investigation, the excavations covered areas of hundreds of square meters. The occupiers removed what is called the cultural layer of the Ukrainian peninsula to a depth of nearly 2 meters. This has led to extensive damage to historical sites that are part of Ukraine's millennia-old statehood.
According to expert conclusions, the actions of the archaeologists have caused damage amounting to over 200 million UAH. Based on the collected evidence, the citizen of the Russian Federation has been informally charged under Part 4 of Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, regarding the illegal conduct of search operations at archaeological heritage sites and their damage.
Currently, Ukrainian law enforcement is considering the issue of placing the suspect on an international wanted list. He is expected to be held criminally accountable for crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage.
Earlier, a Russian intelligence agent was detained in Chernihiv for committing arson and planning the murders of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.