World Police Launches Search for Stolen Valuables from Kherson Museums by Russia

The practical phase of the international search for Ukrainian cultural heritage has been launched. Thanks to cooperation with INTERPOL HQ, data on hundreds of exhibits illegally exported during the occupation have been integrated into global police databases.

This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.

After lengthy negotiations and checks, Interpol headquarters provided the Ukrainian bureau with the opportunity to independently and instantly enter data on stolen cultural property into global registers. This applies to property stolen by the occupiers from Ukrainian museums, in particular during the looting of Kherson in the fall of 2022.

As of mid-February 2026, hundreds of objects have already been uploaded to the international search database. Many of them are exhibits of the Kherson Regional Museum of Local Lore, including the famous painting by Ivan Shulga 'Song of the Cossacks'.

These works of art are now officially listed as stolen in 196 countries, making their sale on international markets impossible. Anyone can independently check the legality of an artifact through the official INTERPOL ID-Art mobile application.

Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) published the data of people involved in the theft of cultural property in the occupied Kherson region as part of the Stolen Heritage project.

The register of those involved in the robbery of Ukrainian museums includes Artem Lahoyskyi, the so-called 'Minister of Culture' of the occupied Kherson region. According to intelligence, he was not only the organizer but also the direct perpetrator of the theft of cultural heritage.

The collaborator personally organized the removal of more than 10 thousand exhibits from the Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum and unique paintings from the Novokakhovka Gallery. In addition, together with the Russian military, he stole the ashes of Grigory Potemkin from the Catherine's Cathedral.

Катерина Глушко