Following the liberation of Kherson, it was discovered that nearly 360,000 documents from the National Archival Fund had been stolen by Russian forces during the occupation.
Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine Viktoriia Vasylchuk said this on Ukrainian television, Ukrinform reports.
“Regarding the looted archives in the Kherson region, after Ukrainian troops liberated Kherson, we identified a shortage of nearly 360,000 documents from the National Archival Fund. According to our records, we have detailed information on what was stolen or left in the occupied territories,” she said.
Vasylchuk noted that the Ministry of Defense’s Main Development Directorate and the State Archival Service of Ukraine are working together to identify those responsible for the theft of cultural heritage, particularly the documents located in temporarily occupied territories.
“These lists, published on the World and Sanctions portal, include the names of Ukrainian collaborators. Regarding accountability, law enforcement agencies can initiate criminal cases and gather evidence for potential prosecutions,” Vasylchuk added.
As reported by Ukrinform, in Kyiv, 390 pages of archival documents from the National Union of Writers of Ukraine building at 2 Bankova Street, which was damaged by a Russian drone attack on January 1, 2025, were successfully digitized.
Source: Nearly 360,000 archival documents stolen from Kherson during occupation
