Ukraine and EU Discuss Sanctions Over Russian Crimes Against Cultural Heritage
On June 3, Ukraine and the European Union held the 12th round of informal consultations on the legal consequences of the temporary occupation of parts of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, The Gaze reports.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications for European Integration, Andrii Nadzhos, participated in the discussion, focusing on the consequences of Russia’s unlawful actions targeting Ukrainian cultural heritage in the temporarily occupied territories.
These include illegal archaeological excavations, the removal of artifacts from Ukrainian museum collections to Russian institutions, and the destruction of cultural heritage sites.
“In this context, Ukraine continues its efforts to protect culture, in particular through the introduction of targeted sanctions against individuals and legal entities involved in illegal excavations, illicit trade, and destruction of cultural property,” Nadzhos stated.
He emphasized that on February 5, 2025, Ukraine added 55 individuals responsible for illegal excavations in Crimea and three museums to its sanctions list.
“We are working on the next package of sanctions against the Russian museum sector: a draft law has already been prepared to impose sanctions against 15 individuals and the leadership of Russian museum institutions actively engaged in implementing anti-Ukrainian policy in the museum sphere,” he said.
Nadzhos also stressed the importance of the inclusion of one individual and one legal entity, previously listed by Ukraine, in the 17th EU sanctions package, adopted on May 20, 2025.
Ukraine considers such actions key to holding Russia accountable for the systematic looting and destruction of Ukrainian cultural identity in the occupied territories.
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