Artifacts stolen from Ukraine appearing on international black market – Ukraine's Prosecutor General

Russia is committing yet another crime – the theft of cultural values. Artifacts stolen by Russia in Ukraine have started appearing on the international black market.

As reported by Ukrinform, this was announced by the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) in a Telegram post.

“In addition to the systematic destruction of cultural heritage, Russia is committing another crime – the theft of cultural values. These artifacts, stolen from our museums and archaeological sites, are now appearing on the international black market. We already have enough evidence to initiate new criminal proceedings regarding these crimes,” stated Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin following a meeting in Washington with a special FBI team that specializes in investigating crimes against cultural heritage.

The Prosecutor General also noted that thanks to close cooperation with colleagues from the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, the Prosecutor General’s Office was able to gather all the necessary information about this category of crimes.

“Based on the information obtained, we created a special unit in the Office. This unit is not only engaged in investigating cases of cultural heritage destruction due to shelling but also in cases where our cultural heritage is being illegally sold abroad,” Kostin reported.

As Ukrinform reported, on September 29, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin held an official meeting with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Department of Justice team, during which they discussed cooperation in priority areas.