In early April, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency accused seven Russian archaeologists of carrying out work in occupied territories. Earlier, archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin was detained in Warsaw at Kyiv’s request in a case concerning excavations in annexed Crimea. According to the interviewee who spoke to Novaya Gazeta Europe, these episodes reflect a broader problem: the destruction of Ukraine’s archaeological heritage during the war.
He says military operations, trench-digging and the construction of fortifications cause direct damage to ancient sites. Even a single shell crater can erase valuable archaeological evidence, while deep defensive lines such as the so-called Surovikin Line become disastrous when they cut across prehistoric settlements or burial grounds.
After Russia occupied Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014, all official Ukrainian archaeological projects there came to a halt. With the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, systematic research also effectively stopped across other frontline areas.
The source says any archaeological work in temporarily occupied territories is considered illegal under Ukrainian law. In the Luhansk region, at least three major unauthorized expeditions were documented between 2017 and 2022. In occupied Donetsk region, large-scale excavations are now linked to construction of a new highway from Rostov-on-Don to Crimea bypassing Mariupol.
Since 2022, he argues, the removal of museum collections has also intensified. He pointed to transfers from museums in Melitopol, Mariupol and Kherson, and cited the case of 37 objects from the Stone Grave reserve that were found in the Chersonesos museum in Sevastopol.
“Even a single shell crater can destroy valuable data,” the interviewee stresses.
Damage is monitored through satellite imagery, open-source investigations and drone footage. On de-occupied territories, however, archaeologists are above all constrained by demining: until land is cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance, full-scale research cannot resume. In his view, systematic protection of this heritage will only become possible after hostilities end and the rule of law is restored.