Ukrainian authorities: Byzantine-era gold stolen by Russians from occupied Crimea

Byzantine-era gold was stolen by Russians from the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos in occupied Crimea, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in Crimea reported on May 22.

Ancient items made of bone, clay, and other materials were also stolen, according to the report.

Russian occupation forces allegedly transported the items to the city of Veliky Novgorod in Russia for a museum exhibition, according to the mission.

Meanwhile, Russian occupation forces continue excavations on the territory of the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, which the mission deemed "criminal."

The Crimean Peninsula has been under Russian occupation since 2014 following a fake referendum staged by Russia to annex the territory.

Russian forces have pillaged multiple museums and other sites of cultural importance in Ukraine's occupied territories.

The Ukrainian military's National Resistance Center reported in November 2022 that Russian forces retreating from Kherson and surrounding areas had stolen around 15,000 exhibits from the oblast.

Empty Kherson art museum in despair after entire collection stolen by Russia

Housed in a grand imperial building with a view out onto the Dnipro River, the Kherson Fine Arts Museum once hosted one of the richest collections in all of Ukraine. As with the rest of Kherson, which had its electricity infrastructure destroyed by withdrawing Russian forces in early Nove…

Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell