Journalists identify Russian officer and officials from Crimea who looted Kherson museums
Pravda Ukraine
Journalists have identified a Russian officer and three Russian-appointed officials from occupied Crimea who were responsible for the illegal export of collections from two museums in Kherson in autumn 2022.
Source: Kyiv Independent investigation
Details: Running from the Ukrainian counter-offensive, the Russians stole more than 33,000 historical artefacts and works of art from Kherson. This museum robbery is called the largest in Europe since World War II.
The Official Robbery investigation focuses on Dmitry Lipov, head of the communications centre of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, who served as commandant during the occupation of Kherson; Sergei Patrushev, the Russian-appointed head of the Museum Department of the so-called Ministry of Culture of Crimea; Yelena Morozova and Mikhail Smorodkin, the Russian-appointed directors of the Crimean museums Chersonesos Tavriia and the Sevastopol Defence Museum.
In order to identify the organisers of the robbery, journalists had to spend several months talking to Kherson defectors who helped the Russians take the valuables out under the guise of either a Russian TV producer or a Russian investigator.
The journalists found that Russian officer Dmitry Lipov was responsible for the security of the collections during their export and personally sealed the lorries with the stolen objects.
Sergei Patrushev, the Russian-appointed head of the Museum Department of the Ministry of Culture of Crimea, was responsible for the removal of paintings from the Kherson Art Museum to occupied Crimea.
The directors of the Crimean museums Chersonesos Tavriia and the Sevastopol Defence Museum were involved in selecting items from the local history museum’s collection during the robbery.
The journalists also found out that the illegal export of collections from Kherson to occupied Crimea was supervised by officers of the Russian Federal Security Service.
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