29/04/2022 10:53

The russian army is looting museums in Mariupol and exporting unique art exhibits to Donetsk

The occupiers stole more than 2,000 objects from the Museum of Local Lore, the Kuindzhi Art Museum and the Museum of Medallion Art of Mariupol.

Among these exhibits are the work of Arkhip Kuindzhi "Red Sunset", "Autumn", "Elbrus", the work of Ivan Aivazovsky "Near the shores of the Caucasus", ancient icons "Jesus Christ Almighty", "Our Lady with the Infant", "John the Baptist", a unique handwritten  a Tory scroll made by the Venetian printing house for the Greeks of Mariupol, the Gospel of 1811 and more than 200 medals from the Museum of Medallion Art of Eugene Harabet, a Ukrainian medalist of Greek descent who lived in Mariupol.

They are objects of material and spiritual culture of the Ukrainian people, have artistic, historical, ethnographic and scientific significance and are subject to preservation.

Russia's abduction of these unique items of cultural heritage of Ukraine is a gross violation as a member of UNESCO of the protocols of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property during military conflicts.

I appeal to the UN Commission for Investigation Human Rights Violations during the Russian military invasion of Ukraine to take into account these facts of human rights violations in Ukraine.