Kherson’s looted treasures show Ukraine’s cultural heritage as a casualty of war

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A portrait of Vladimir Lenin at the Kherson Regional Art Museum. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)
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Father Ilya and civilians hoisting a chandelier that has fallen over due to Russian shelling at St Catherine's cathedral in Kherson. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)
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Frames emptied of paintings Russian invaders are seen at the Kherson museum. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)
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Updated 08 April 2023
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Kherson’s looted treasures show Ukraine’s cultural heritage as a casualty of war

  • Ukrainians say artworks, heritage sites, and even the bones of an 18th century military leader have been plundered
  • Official of Kherson Regional Art Museum accuses Russians of stealing 80 percent of the collection during occupation

KHERSON: Built in the early 20th century, Kherson Regional Art Museum stands proudly in the heart of the southern Ukrainian city. With its grand and imposing architecture, the historic building has variously served as the city council chambers, its main court, and even a public bank.

In 1977, the building became an art gallery, housing about 15,000 pieces — one of the biggest art collections in the country. Today, however, its walls are dotted with pinned paper notes identifying the many artworks looted during the Russian occupation of the city.

For eight months last year, Russian forces controlled Kherson. In November, following a massive Ukrainian counteroffensive, they were forced to abandon the territory but not without first removing thousands of exhibits from the museum’s collection.

According to a Human Rights Watch report of December 2022, “during this (occupation) period, and particularly over the final three weeks, Russian soldiers and other state agents working with them pillaged the Kherson Regional Art Museum, the Kherson Regional Museum, St. Catherine’s Cathedral, and the Kherson Region National Archives.”

Igor Rusol, deputy chief of the Kherson Regional Art Museum, estimates that about 80 percent of the valuable contents of the collection were stolen by the Russian occupiers and shipped by the truckload across the border into Russia.

“The Russian soldiers secured help from some civilians here to help them carry the art pieces,” he told Arab News. “But the civilians didn’t look right. They seemed drugged up and were homeless. I don’t think they were aware of the gravity of what they were doing.”




Igor Rusol, deputy chief of the Kherson Regional Art Museum, shows portions of the museum that had been emptied by Russian art looters. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)

Rusol has been with the art museum for eight years. “This place is my soul,” he said. “I stayed during the occupation but I saw the looting coming. I prepared myself mentally for it but I remain disgusted with the situation.”

The material cost of the stolen artifacts is placed at hundreds of millions of dollars but Rusol said it is the cultural significance of the loss that matters most to him.

“Not only did they loot pieces, they stole the hard drives and books that served as our archives,” he said. “Thankfully we had backups and we are now working to finalize the list with a special commission office.”

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, at least 580 cultural sites have been damaged or destroyed across the country since Russia launched what it called a “special military operation” on Feb. 24, 2022, designed to “denazify” the Ukrainian government.

Among these sites are 22 archaeological treasures, 28 military graveyards, 42 historical districts, 268 architectural sites and 19 monumental art pieces. About 1,322 objects of cultural value have been damaged or destroyed.




Museum officials believe some items were looted purely for financial gain, while others were likely destined for Russian museums. . (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)

As of March 22 this year, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization had verified damage to 248 Ukrainian sites since the war began, including 107 religious sites, 21 museums, 89 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 19 monuments and 12 libraries.

The collections at the Kherson Regional Art Museum became vulnerable during the occupation when the number of staff on shift at the institution was reduced, Rusol said. It is thought that two employees with pro-Russian sympathies collaborated with the occupiers and advised them about what to take. One of the suspected collaborators subsequently moved to the Russian Federation and has not returned.

Rusol believes some items were looted purely for financial gain, while others were likely destined for Russian museums.

FASTFACTS

The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage and the looting and smuggling of artifacts are considered war crimes under the 1954 Hague Convention, to which both Russia and Ukraine are signatories.

Since Feb. 24, 2022, UNESCO has verified damage to 248 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites, including 107 religious sites, 21 museums, 89 buildings of historical interest, 19 monuments, and 12 libraries.

Russian officials might argue that the decision to remove artworks and artifacts was intended to protect them from harm. Indeed, when Russian forces declared martial law in annexed territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk in September, authorities were granted permission to “evacuate” items of economic, social and cultural significance. In October, Russian state news agency Ria Novosti reported that two statues of historical Russian naval commanders were removed from Kherson “because of the threat of damage during shelling or terrorist attacks by the Ukronazis.”

As he gave Arab News a tour of the art museum, Rusol pointed out two portraits of Vladimir Lenin, the Russian revolutionary leader and founder of the Soviet Union.

“Isn’t it ironic that they left his portraits here?” he said.




The Russian looters were not interested in the portraits of Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)

The art museum had been undergoing restoration work before the invasion but, not surprisingly, the process has been put on hold. Rusol believes it will be a long time before it can resume.

“Firstly, Ukraine has to win the war,” he said. “I don’t think the restoration will take place during my lifetime. There are people who have lost their homes, whole towns raised to the ground.”

He suspects the war is not likely to end anytime soon.

“Russians are unpredictable and stubborn,” Rusol said. “They still insist there is no war. How do you reason with such people?”




A bust of celebrated Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko was among those left behind by looters. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)

It is not only precious artworks that have been looted from Kherson. At St. Catherine’s Cathedral, the grave of famed 18th century Russian statesman and military commander Grigory Potemkin was plundered and his remains moved across the Dnipro River to Russian-held territory, along with a statue of him.

To reach his resting place and remove his remains, the occupiers had to open a trap door in the middle of the church floor and go down a small flight of stairs. Little attempt appeared to have been made to conceal the theft.

“This church wasn’t properly looked after during the Soviet era,” Father Ilya, the cathedral’s priest, told Arab News. “It was us who restored it after we received our independence. We have guarded Potemkin’s remains and now they’ve desecrated him.”

Standing beside Potemkin’s looted grave, Father Ilya added: “Whether one is a prince or an ordinary man, the disturbance of a corpse should not be done. We have looked after his remains, we have taken better care of history than the Russians have.”




Father Ilya standing by the grave of Potemkin in Kherson's St Catherine's cathedral. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)

Potemkin, an adviser to Empress Catherine the Great, played a critical role in the annexation of Crimea from the Ottomans in 1783. As a result, he is a celebrated figure among Russian nationalists. President Vladimir Putin even cited Potemkin’s legacy as part of his justification for Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

During a speech in September last year marking the annexation of several other eastern Ukrainian territories, Putin again mentioned Potemkin as one of the founders of many towns in the region, and he referred to the area as Novorossiya, or “New Russia.”

In 2021, prior to the invasion, Putin wrote an essay titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians” in which he expressed his belief that Russians and Ukrainians are one people artificially divided by borders and outsiders.

Russia is accused of seeking, on the basis of this disputed notion, to dismantle Ukrainian national identity, commandeer its cultural artifacts, rewrite its history, erase local traditions, and subsume its territory into the Russian Federation.




Artefacts packaged at the storage room in Kherson Regional Art Museum. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)

Anastasia Bondar, Ukraine’s deputy minister of culture and information, described the destruction and looting of her country’s cultural heritage as a war crime.

“We will take this to court,” she told Arab News.

It will be a difficult task to identify and trace all of the artworks and artifacts that have gone missing since the invasion, she conceded, but added: “We will not give up on our history and we will take what is rightfully ours back.

“But it is more than the looted pieces. The invaders are purposely destroying our infrastructure and cultural sites; they are even burning our books.”

Asked whether more might have been done to protect heritage sites and collections before the Russian troops moved in, Bondar said there was simply no time to safely remove all of the items.

“We were not able to evacuate our museums properly because such things take time,” she said. “There are special ways to remove an artifact properly without causing any damage to the piece.”




Frames emptied of paintings Russian looters are seen at the Kherson museum. (AN photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak)

Ukraine is now lobbying for a special tribunal to be established to hold Russia accountable for its aggression and its consequences, including the alleged destruction of cultural heritage.

The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage and the looting and smuggling of cultural artifacts are considered war crimes under the 1954 Hague Convention, to which both Russia and Ukraine are signatories.

Back at the Kherson Regional Art Museum, where empty picture frames hang poignantly on largely bare walls, Rusol remains defiant, believing Russia will ultimately fail to quash Ukraine’s sense of national identity.

“They came here to destroy us and our culture,” he said. “But they won’t be able to.”

 


France on the back foot in Africa after Chadian snub

French soldiers stand at attention during a morning drill at the French military base in Chadian capital N'Djamena in 2014. (Reu
Updated 30 November 2024
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France on the back foot in Africa after Chadian snub

  • Chad abruptly ended its defense cooperation pact with France
  • Experts say that without Chad, French army will struggle to run other Africa operations

NAIROBI/GENEVA: A French plan to significantly reduce its military presence in West and central Africa risks backfiring and further diminishing the former colonial power’s influence in the region at a time when Russia is gaining ground.
A French envoy to President Emmanuel Macron this week handed in a report with proposals on how France could reduce its military presence in Chad, Gabon and Ivory Coast, where it has deployed troops for decades.
Details of the report have not been made public but two sources said the plan is to cut the number of troops to 600 from around 2,200 now. The sources said Chad would keep the largest contingent with 300 French troops, down from 1,000. However, in a surprise move that caught French officials on the hop, the government of Chad — a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in the region — on Thursday abruptly ended its defense cooperation pact with France. That could lead to French troops leaving the central African country altogether.
“For France it is the start of the end of their security engagement in central and Western Africa,” said Ulf Laessing, director of the Sahel Programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali.
“Chad was the aircraft carrier of the French army, its logistical headquarters. If Chad doesn’t exist, the French army will have a huge problem to keep running its other operations.”
In a further blow to France, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told French state TV on Thursday it was inappropriate for French troops to maintain a presence in his country, where 350 French soldiers are currently based. France has already pulled its soldiers out from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, following military coups in those West African countries and spreading anti-French sentiment. Paris is also shifting more attention to Europe with the war in Ukraine and increasing budgetary constraints, diplomats said.
The review envisions the remaining French soldiers in the region focusing on training, intelligence exchange and responding to requests from countries for help, depending on their needs, the sources said. Chad’s move to end the cooperation deal had not been discussed with Paris and shocked the French, according to the two sources and other officials. France, which wants to keep a presence in Chad in part because of its work to help ease one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises unfolding now in neighboring Sudan, responded only 24 hours after Chad made its announcement.
“France takes note and intends to continue the dialogue to implement these orientations,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
One of the two sources, a French official with knowledge of Chadian affairs, said Chad’s government appeared to have seen the French decision to more than halve its military presence there as a snub. Chad also felt the French would no longer be in a position to guarantee the security of the military regime led by President Mahamat Idriss Deby, this source said.
Macron had backed Deby despite criticism since Deby seized power following the death of his father, who ruled Chad for 30 years until he was killed in 2021 during an incursion by rebels. Deby won an election held this year.
In its statement on Thursday evening, released hours after the French foreign minister had visited the Sudanese border in eastern Chad with his counterpart, Chad’s foreign ministry said N’djamena wanted to fully assert its sovereignty after more than six decades of independence from France. It said the decision should in no way undermine the friendly relations between the two countries. Earlier this year, a small contingent of US special forces left Chad amid a review of US cooperation with the country.
The French drawdown, coupled with a US pullback from Africa, contrasts with the increasing influence of Russia and other countries, including Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates, on the continent. Russian mercenaries are helping prop up the military governments of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, and are also fighting alongside them against Islamist militants. However, French officials and other sources played down Russia’s ability to take advantage of the French setback in Chad, at least in the short term. The French source familiar with Chadian affairs noted that Russia and Chad back rival factions in Sudan’s war. Russia also has major military commitments in Syria and the war in Ukraine.


Ireland votes in closely fought general election

Updated 29 November 2024
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Ireland votes in closely fought general election

DUBLIN: Voting got under way in Ireland Friday in a general election with the two center-right coalition partners neck-and-neck with opposition party Sinn Fein, following a campaign marked by rancour over housing and cost-of-living crises.
Polls opened at 0700 GMT and will close at 2200 GMT as voters choose new members of the 174-seat lower chamber of parliament, the Dail.
Final opinion polling put the three main parties — center-right Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, and the leftist-nationalist Sinn Fein — each on around 20 percent.
Counting is not due to start until Saturday morning, with partial results expected throughout the day. A final result, however, may not be clear for days as EU member Ireland’s proportional representation system sees votes of eliminated candidates redistributed during multiple rounds of counting.
Prime Minister Simon Harris was among the first to vote, in his constituency of Delgany, south of Dublin. The Fine Gael leader, who became Ireland’s youngest-ever taoiseach (prime minister) when he took over in April, held a solid lead entering the campaign.
But the party lost ground, in particular after Harris was seen in a viral clip appearing rude and dismissive to a care worker on the campaign trail.
“I’ve enjoyed putting forward my policy vision as a new leader, as a new Taoiseach,” Harris, 38, told reporters after voting.
“Now I’m looking forward to the people having their say.”
Some in his constituency did not share his optimism. IT worker Kevin Barry, 41, said he was unsure about voting “as all the options seem so terrible.”
He cited the housing crisis, in which a shortage is driving up rents. While leaning toward the governing coalition, Barry told AFP: “I am not really happy with them as they are responsible for the mess that we are in, particularly with regard to housing.”
For Peta Scott, 54, a health care worker and mother of four, housing woes meant it was “a challenge” for her children to stay in Ireland.
At the last general election in 2020, Sinn Fein — the former political wing of the paramilitary Irish Republican Army — won the popular vote but could not find willing coalition partners.
That led to weeks of horsetrading, ending up with Fine Gael, which has been in power since 2011, agreeing a deal with Fianna Fail, led by the experienced Micheal Martin, 64.
The role of prime minister rotated between the two party leaders. The smaller Green Party made up the governing coalition.
Harris has had to defend the government’s patchy record on tackling a worsening housing crisis and fend off accusations of profligate public spending.
A giveaway budget last month was also aimed at appeasing voters fretting about sky-high housing and childcare costs.
Both center-right parties stress their pro-business credentials and say returning them to power would ensure stability, particularly with turmoil abroad and the risk of external shocks.
Ireland’s economy depends on foreign direct investment and lavish corporate tax returns from mainly US tech and pharma giants.
But threats from incoming US president Donald Trump to slap tariffs on imports and repatriate corporate tax of US firms from countries such as Ireland have caused concern for economic stability.
Mary Lou McDonald’s Sinn Fein has seen a dip in support because of its progressive stance on social issues and migration policy, as immigration became a key election issue.
But it has rallied on the back of a campaign heavily focused on housing policy and claims it is the only alternative to the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, who have swapped power since Irish independence from Britain in 1921.
After voting in her central Dublin constituency, McDonald called Friday “a historic day where we can elect a new government for change.”
Asked if voting for Sinn Fein was a vote for a united Ireland, including British-ruled Northern Ireland, she replied: “Of course it is.”
“We are united Irelanders. We have an ambitious plan for a new Ireland.”
Retiree William McCarthy voted for the party but was unconvinced they would win.

 

 


Bangladesh urges EU states to expedite formal recognition of Palestine

Updated 29 November 2024
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Bangladesh urges EU states to expedite formal recognition of Palestine

  • Only 11 of 27 EU member states recognize the State of Palestine
  • Bangladesh responds to EU’s declared commitment to a two-state solution

DHAKA: Bangladesh has called on EU member states to expedite the formal recognition of the State of Palestine and use their influence to prevent permanent members of the UN Security Council from obstructing a ceasefire in Gaza.

Bangladesh’s delegation took part in a meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in Brussels on Thursday, where the EU foreign policy chief emphasized the bloc’s commitment to a two-state solution — providing Palestinians with their own nation-state — as “the only viable path to peace in the region.”

But so far, only 11 out of 27 EU member states recognize the State of Palestine, with three — Spain, Ireland and Slovenia — doing so earlier this year in the wake of Israel’s deadly onslaught in Gaza and with a genocide case against Tel Aviv ongoing in the International Court of Justice.

“The Bangladeshi delegation urged the participating member states to expedite their formal recognition of the State of Palestine, affirming this as a crucial step toward legitimizing and empowering Palestinian sovereignty and self-determination,” the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement following the meeting.

For Bangladesh, which established diplomatic ties with Palestine soon after achieving independence in 1971, formal recognition of Palestinian statehood, was key to achieving peace.

“Already 149 countries have supported the UN recognition of the Palestinian state’s membership,” said Shafiqur Rahman, director general of the Bangladeshi Foriegn Affairs Ministry’s West Asia wing, who led the delegation to Brussels.

“It’s very important to galvanize and mobilize the global community. We must continue to apply pressure, and efforts should persist in this regard. There is no room for giving up,” he told Arab News on Friday.

The Bangladeshi delegation also called on EU member states to leverage their influence to discourage any vetoes by permanent members of the UN Security Council “that could obstruct adopting a permanent ceasefire in Gaza war and resultant peace initiatives.”

The most recent UNSC resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was voted down by the US last week, as Israel’s deadly bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.

It was the fourth time Joe Biden’s administration has vetoed a UNSC Gaza ceasefire resolution, blocking international action to halt Israel’s war, which over the past one year killed at least 44,000 Palestinians, injured over 100,000 more and destroyed most of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.

 


Philippines looks to boost ties with Bahrain’s tourism, hospitality sector

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco speaks during the UN World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Manama on Nov. 18, 2024. (Philippin
Updated 29 November 2024
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Philippines looks to boost ties with Bahrain’s tourism, hospitality sector

  • Bahraini government is preparing to open its embassy in Manila
  • Cebu and Palawan are top destinations for Bahraini tourists in Philippines

MANILA: The Philippines is expanding collaborations with Bahrain to mutually boost tourism and hospitality expertise, Christina Frasco, the Philippine tourism secretary, said on Friday.

While other GCC countries have for years been the main overseas destination for Filipinos, relations with Bahrain started to expand only recently, with the Bahraini government preparing to open its embassy in Manila this year.

Frasco, who visited Manama earlier this month, held talks with her Bahraini counterpart Fatima Al-Sairafi on increasing tourism between the two countries.

“They’re very interested in learning from our world-renowned Filipino hospitality, as well as our brand of service excellence, and in collaborating to increase opportunities for meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions,” Frasco told Arab News.

Some 57,000 Filipinos currently live in Bahrain, working mainly as accountants, engineers, construction contractors, sales associates, and business and government support staff. The tourism sector, however, remains untapped territory.

“We discussed the potential of wide-reaching collaborations between Bahrain and the Philippines, first and foremost on joint cooperation to increase tourist flows,” Frasco said.

“We also discussed how we may be able to further expand connectivity between Bahrain and the Philippines, not only with Manila, but with other places in the country, especially since, as I learned when I was in Bahrain, there are certain destinations (in the Philippines) that are very popular with the people of Bahrain, such as Cebu and Palawan.”

The number of tourists from Bahrain has been on the rise, with more than 5,500 visiting the Philippines from January to October this year — a 16-percent increase over the same period in 2023.

The Philippines has been trying to attract more visitors from Middle Eastern countries and has been encouraging the local hospitality industry to introduce standards that will make their properties and services attractive to Muslim tourists.

“We note that these countries have recovered very well (from the COVID pandemic travel shutdown) ... and we wish to be able to grow this momentum further by forging strategic collaborations with them,” Frasco said.

“Connectivity is one thing that we are continuing to focus on, as well as really ensuring that our tourist destinations are prepared to receive tourists from that region. This includes the growth of our halal and Muslim-friendly establishments.”

 


Former Kosovo rebel commander ordered to pay victims

Updated 29 November 2024
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Former Kosovo rebel commander ordered to pay victims

  • The judges “set the total reparation award for which Mr.Shala is liable at 208,000 euros” ($220,000),” Judge Mappie Veldt-Foglia told the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague
  • Although the “responsibility to pay the compensation lies exclusively with Mr.Shala“” the judge said, “he does not appear to have the means to comply with the order“

THE HAGUE: A special international court on Friday ordered a former Kosovo rebel commander to pay $220,000 in damages to victims of abuses suffered in 1999 during the Serbian province’s struggle for independence.
Pjeter Shala, 61, also known as “Commander Wolf,” was sentenced to 18 years behind bars in July for war crimes committed during the tiny country’s 1998-99 independence conflict, when separatist KLA rebels fought forces loyal to then Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
The judges “set the total reparation award for which Mr.Shala is liable at 208,000 euros” ($220,000),” Judge Mappie Veldt-Foglia told the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
“Mr Shala is ordered to pay (damages) as compensation for the harm inflicted” on eight victims, she said.
The total amount comprised individual payments to the eight victims ranging from 8,000 to 100,000 euros, as well as a collective sum of 50,000 euros, the judge said.
Although the “responsibility to pay the compensation lies exclusively with Mr.Shala“” the judge said, “he does not appear to have the means to comply with the order.”
Kosovo’s current Crime Victim Compensation Program “could be one way to execute the Reparation Order,” Veldt-Foglia suggested.
However, the maximum sums per victim awarded by the program would be lower than those awarded by the court, she said.
Shala faced charges of murder, torture, arbitrary detention and cruel treatment of at least 18 civilian detainees accused of working as spies or collaborating with opposing Serb forces in mid-1999.
The judges acquitted him of cruel treatment and he was sentenced on the other three counts.
The judges said Shala was part of a group of KLA soldiers who severely mistreated detainees at a metal factory serving as a KLA headquarters in Kukes, northeastern Albania, at the time.
Shala was tried before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a court located in The Hague to prosecute mainly former KLA fighters for war crimes.
They included former KLA political commander Hashim Thaci, who dominated Kosovo’s politics after it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and rose to become president of the tiny country.
Thaci resigned in 2020 to face war crimes and crimes against humanity charges, and has pleaded not guilty.