The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (DIU) has published information on 178 cultural assets stolen by Russians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in the “Stolen Heritage” section of the War&Sanctions portal.

This was reported on the DIU’s official Telegram channel on October 8.

In particular, the occupiers:

  • stole more than 140 artefacts during illegal archaeological excavations in Crimea — at the sites of the Southern Suburb of Chersonesus Taurica, the Kadikovske settlement (Roman camp), and the Byzantine architectural monument “Church of John the Baptist”;

  • removed 37 exhibits from the National Historical and Archaeological Museum “Kamiana Mohyla” and transferred them to the “Chersonesus Taurica” museum under the pretext of a “temporary exhibition” titled “The Spiritual World of the Ancestors in the Petroglyphs of Kamiana Mohyla” in 2023.

By appropriating Ukrainian culture and history, Russia seeks to erase Ukrainian national identity, as well as to legitimise its aggression and occupation.

Documenting these crimes is the first step toward achieving justice and holding all those involved accountable.