An archaeological site destroyed in Mykolaiv region due to agricultural work

In Mykolaiv region, part of a mound group, an archaeological site of local significance near the village of Slyvyno, was destroyed as a result of agricultural work. The identified violations of the law were referred to the police and the prosecutor's office for investigation.

This was reported by the press service of the Department of Culture, Nationalities and Religions of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.

In the region, the destruction of a part of an archaeological site of local significance - a mound group located near the village of Slyvyno on the western outskirts along the T1506 highway - was recorded. The damage was discovered during an on-site inspection conducted by experts from the Department of Culture, the regional museum of local lore, and representatives of the cultural heritage protection body of the Vesnianska territorial community. The inspection was organized in response to an appeal from local residents.

During the inspection, it was found that the northern half of the mound of Mound 1 was completely destroyed, and Mound 4 was actually erased from the surface of the earth due to agricultural work. An analysis of open cadastral data, satellite and topographic maps showed that both mounds are privately owned, which in itself is a violation of the law.

The press service noted that according to Ukrainian law, archaeological monuments can only be state-owned. In addition, the very fact of destroying the mounds during land cultivation and the use of machinery falls under the signs of a criminal offense under Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The Department of Culture has already prepared official appeals to the prosecutor's office and the Main Department of the National Police in Mykolaiv region to provide a legal assessment of the actions that led to the destruction of the archaeological heritage.

At the beginning of the year, Mykolaiv continued to mark architectural monuments with protection boards, emphasizing their importance as cultural heritage sites. Such signs appeared, in particular, on the national monument "Officers' Assembly" (1820), the city council building (1954), the historic yacht club (1904) and the house where Panas Saksaganskii lived.

Mykolaiv and Kherson regions are among the most affected regions of Ukraine, where cultural infrastructure facilities have been heavily damaged by shelling. In total, more than two thousand cultural heritage institutions and structures were damaged across the country.

Анна Бальчінос