The return of looted antiquities should be part of any Ukraine peace settlement |
The return of looted antiquities should be part of any Ukraine peace settlement
As settlement talks between Russia and Ukraine inch forward, the U.S. remains a central broker. The core issues are without question those of sovereignty, territory and security.
Ukraine’s pillaged cultural treasures may seem like a marginal issue. But history tells us this should not be overlooked when crafting a strong and lasting agreement.
The scale of the loss is staggering. Last April, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture reported damage to almost 1,700 cultural heritage sites and more than 2,400 cultural facilities, including 151 sites of national importance — and no region of the country has been spared.
The Saint Sophia Cathedral, a stunning Byzantine church from the 11th century, was damaged in a June attack on the capital. At the same time, Ukraine reports that more than 1.7 million cultural objects have been stolen by Russia since the annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion. In Mariupol alone, four museums were damaged, destroyed, or looted in early 2022, including the Mariupol Museum of Local Lore; among the losses was the Mariupol Bull Figurine, one of more than 2,000 museum pieces that disappeared during Russia’s siege and broader campaign of cultural plunder.
It is not merely sentimentality that places cultural heritage among the issues that should be on the table: It is strategy. Allowing Russia to retain the nearly 2 million cultural treasures it has pillaged risks validating the Kremlin’s long-standing propaganda claims. It would embed future grievances and hand Moscow — at a moment of economic strain — a windfall in stolen assets.
The world should not ignore a........