On scale similar to World War II: Tasheva on export of cultural artifacts from Ukraine by Russians

This was emphasized by the Permanent Representative of the President in Crimea Tamila Tasheva during the international conference United for Justice – United for Heritage, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"What we have seen over the past 10 years is reminiscent of World War II in terms of the scale of artifacts removal," Tasheva said.

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According to her, the war, which has been going on for 10 years, is a war against Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identity in Crimea.

The Permanent Representative of the President in the ARC emphasized that there were 1.2 million museum objects in Crimea, which were placed in 26 museums. There were also 3,772 monuments of world civilization on the peninsula. More than 150 thousand cultural objects, including 8 thousand real estate objects, she added, are now registered under Russian law. At the beginning of the occupation, Russia legally recorded and included these objects in the unified state register of cultural heritage of the peles of Russia and is trying to apprriate these artifacts, Tasheva said.

She reminded that the construction of fortifications at tourist sites in Crimea threatens the integrity of these cultural monuments, that the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisarai, which was nominated for inclusion in the UNESCO list of cultural monuments, is being illegally reconstructed instead of the so-called restoration.

"We are preparing for the cognitive de-occupation of Crimea, and we are also working on the return of cultural artifacts taken from the occupied territories. This is a big job that invves Ukrainian and international experts. Until the occupied territories are liberated, it is very important to join forces in this direction," Tasheva emphasized.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Information Picy, from February 24, 2022, to January 25, 2024, the Russian Federation destroyed or damaged 902 cultural heritage sites in 17 regions of Ukraine. Of these, 124 are monuments of national importance, 708 are of local importance, and 70 are newly discovered.