DIU releases data on cultural heritage of Kherson stolen by residents

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine has confirmed the scale of cultural looting in Kherson by publishing data on stolen valuables from the Shovkunenko Regional Art Gallery.

According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the data was published on the War & Sanctions portal.

During the occupation of the city, the occupation forces took more than a thousand cultural values from the gallery.

The disclosure of this data took place on the eve of the third anniversary of the liberation of Kherson, which once again emphasizes the fact of the systematic destruction and looting of Ukrainian cultural heritage organized by the Russian military.

''During the temporary occupation of the city, Russian Armed Forces servicemen under the leadership of Russian museum workers systematically removed exhibits from the art museum, including paintings, graphics, sculpture and iconography,'' the statement said. Some of them were illegally transported to the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

The War & Sanctions portal published data on 1233 stolen paintings, which is only part of the total list of cultural property illegally taken from the museum by the occupiers. Among the stolen works are those of Ukrainian and European artists of the XIX-XX centuries, such as Peter Lely, Maria Prymachenko, Mykola Pymonenko, Ivan Aivazovsky, Serhiy Vasylkivsky and others.

''By stealing and appropriating Ukrainian cultural heritage, Russia is trying to eradicate Ukrainian national identity and justify its aggression and occupation. Recording these crimes is an important step towards restoring justice and bringing the perpetrators to justice,'' the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine emphasized.

Катерина Глушко