During the 8 months of the war, the Russian Federation caused $100 million in damage to Ukrainian cultural sites. Only 2.000 museum pieces were stolen by the Russian military from Mariupol. Valuable cultural heritage was stolen from the city's museums:
- Ancient icons;
- The handwritten scroll of the Torah,
- 200-year-old Bible;
- Ancient medals;
- Works of the artist Archip Kuanji (born in Ukraine, Mariupol. Therefore, his paintings could not belong to the RF);
- Ivan Aivazovsky's paintings.
"The attitude of Russians to the Ukrainian cultural heritage is a war crime," said minister of culture and information policy Oleksandr Tkachenko.
UNESCO confirmed the words of Ukraine and also told about the destruction caused by Russian attacks. According to a specialized agency at the United Nations, the Russian army damaged 199 historical objects in 12 regions of Ukraine. The list includes:
- Churches — 84 buildings;
- Houses historical monuments of architecture — 37;
- Monuments — 18;
- 13 museums;
- 10 libraries.
It is also reported that Ukraine believes that not all looting is already known. Experts will have to find out how much Scythian gold was stolen from Ukraine to the territory of Russia. There are also museums and cultural heritage sites in the occupied territories.
