In an interview with Voice of America, Andrii Kostin, the Prosecutor-General of Ukraine, said that some historical artifacts that were stolen by Russia from Ukraine have appeared on global black markets.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine was accompanied by a large-scale looting in the occupied territory, with hundreds artifacts reported to have been stolen.
“Russia resorts to a second crime, in addition to the systematic destruction our cultural heritage,” Kostin stated.
These artifacts, which were stolen from our museums, are now being sold on the black market. We have enough evidence for new criminal proceedings.”
Kostin stated that Ukraine worked with the U.S. Justice Department, FBI and other agencies to collect evidence.
The Prosecutor General‘s Office launched a new investigative unit to investigate both the destruction of cultural artifacts in war as well as any attempts to illegally sell the artifacts overseas.
The Ukrainian Culture Ministry reported that nearly 2,100 cultural establishments, including 120 museums and art galleries, have been damaged or destroyed as of October 4, since the outbreak of a full-scale conflict.
After a decade-long legal battle with the Russian occupation authorities on the peninsula, Kyiv was able to retrieve a collection of Crimean artifacts referred to as “Scythian Gold” earlier this year.
These artifacts, which were stolen from our museums, archeological sites and other institutions, are now being sold on the black market. “We already have enough evidence for new criminal proceedings,” said Prosecutor-General Andrii Kostin.
The Washington Post (WP), citing an unnamed diplomat, reported on October 6 that the Ukraine could be offered “more tangible steps” regarding its NATO Membership at the upcoming Ramstein Summit.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces, said that if Russia achieves a breakthrough it will be able fire on the logistical routes linking Zaporizhzhia with eastern Ukraine.
Donald Trump sought advice from Russian President Vladimir Putin when deciding whether to send weapons to Ukraine during his presidential term in 2017, according to a report by the New York Times on October 5, citing unnamed U.S. government officials.
According to the Air Force, Russia launched 87 Shahed drones, 2 Iskander M ballistic missiles and 1 Kh-59/69 Cruise missile against Ukraine over night.
The Russian forces have suffered over 1,250 casualties in the last day alone.
Anatoly Antonov returned to Moscow from Washington on October 5, as his term ended, according to reports in state media. Antonov’s departure marks an end to his assignment in a time of increasing hostility between the two countries.
In the Richky village of Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy District, Russian forces dropped an explosive device from a drone on a passenger vehicle. The explosion caused injuries to three civilians, and the bus was damaged. This was reported by the Sumy Oblast Military Administration on October 5.
Five U.S. Republican Senators visited Hungary from October 3 to 5, and expressed concern about Hungary’s growing ties to Russia and increased cooperation with China.
Local authorities reported that Russian forces launched a drone strike in the Dripro district, Kherson, on October 5. Four civilians were injured.
After more than a year of hearings in court, the attorneys representing three Ukrainian teenagers who were convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year old girl in Zakarpattia Oblast asked the court to close their case.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces stated on October 5 that “the results of the strikes will be clarified.”
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said that on Oct. 2, the U.S. State Department had reviewed Ukraine’s Victory Plan and identified “a number” of productive steps.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified drone attacks. For the first time since the full invasion of Ukraine, they targeted cities across Ukraine every day for an entire month.
Thermite weapons can melt some armored vehicles because they disperse thousands and thousands of tiny pieces molten metal at temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Celsius.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said that as of late August, Russia controlled around 27% of Ukrainian territories.
According to the newspaper around 3 million missiles are shipped from Pyongyang each year to Moscow. However, a large number of them are believed to have been faulty.
The Russian forces have suffered 1,280 casualties in the last day alone.
Since the full-scale Russian invasion began on February 24th, 2022, pyrotechnic teams of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service detected and destroyed over 533.200 pieces of explosive ordnance.
Wladyslaw KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ, the Polish Defense Minister, said that Poland was ready to start training Ukrainian volunteers in September but the lack of volunteers caused the delay.
Local authorities report that despite warnings from Ukrainian officials and Israeli officials regarding security risks, approximately 35,000 Jewish pilgrims travelled to Uman, in Cherkasy Oblast, to celebrate Rosh Hashana.
The Romanian border police discovered debris from a Russian Drone in the Litcov Canal area in the Danube Delta region of Romania on October 4. According to police, the investigated area is in a rural area and no infrastructure has been damaged.
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