Skip to content

International Charitable Organization Lodges Complaint at International Criminal Court Alleging Russian Systematic Plunder and Organization of Ukrainian Cultural Assets

Russia Accusatively Stripped of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage: A Systematic, Widespread, Organized Looting Alleged

Russia Accused in International Court over Alleged Systematic Looting of Ukrainian Cultural...
Russia Accused in International Court over Alleged Systematic Looting of Ukrainian Cultural Artifacts by Russian Forces

International Charitable Organization Lodges Complaint at International Criminal Court Alleging Russian Systematic Plunder and Organization of Ukrainian Cultural Assets

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is actively investigating Russia for the systematic looting of Ukrainian cultural heritage during its ongoing invasion. On July 11, 2025, the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor received a formal complaint from an advocacy group, For Ukraine, For Their Freedom and Ours!, calling for immediate arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and eight other high-ranking officials.

The cultural theft is described as the largest such spoliation in Europe since World War II, involving over 1.7 million stolen cultural items, including archaeological artifacts and museum collections. This systematic and state-planned plunder has been facilitated by Russian laws authorizing the incorporation of seized Ukrainian museum collections into Russian museums in occupied territories such as Crimea and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

UNESCO has confirmed damage to hundreds of Ukrainian cultural heritage sites, including museums and archaeological sites, underscoring the widespread impact. Major cultural institutions like the Kuindzhi Art Museum in Mariupol have been ransacked, with irreplaceable artwork and artifacts taken.

While the ICC is pursuing these allegations, as of now no arrest warrants have been publicly issued. The complaint aims to bring about such warrants promptly and to halt the cultural plundering. The ICC’s case is part of broader international legal efforts addressing Russia’s actions in Ukraine, which include other complaints and judgments on violations of international humanitarian law.

Notably, the complaint also includes allegations of the illegal wartime deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, stated that the warrants helped facilitate the return of children. However, deportations of Ukrainian children are still ongoing, according to Lubinets.

The group behind the complaint, For Ukraine, For Their Freedom and Ours!, has stated that it has determined the modus operandi of this looting and identified the main perpetrators. The implementation of this policy of systematic plunder involves senior officials from the Russian Ministry of Culture, directors of major museums, and Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russian foreign intelligence.

In May 2022, an open letter was published in Le Monde, threatening to take ICOM to court in France if it failed to remove Russia for violating its code of ethics. Castagna and a group of arts professionals called on the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to eject Russia for the same reason. ICOM is an NGO subject to French legislation, and its members can demand that it dismisses Russia for violating its code of ethics.

Castagna has expressed concern about the reluctance of many professionals to stand up to Russians who do not respect ICOM's operating rules. These acts of looting can be classified as war crimes under international law. The group aims to fuel a debate among art professionals to take stock of the crimes committed by Russia.

[1] For Ukraine, For Their Freedom and Ours! (2025). Complaint to the International Criminal Court. Retrieved from https://www.forukraine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ICC-Complaint-FINAL.pdf [2] UNESCO (2025). Damage to Cultural Heritage in Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.unesco.org/ukraine-crisis/en/damage-cultural-heritage-ukraine [3] Human Rights Watch (2022). Russia/Ukraine: Evidence of War Crimes. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/04/26/russia/ukraine-evidence-war-crimes [4] Amnesty International (2022). Ukraine: Russia's War Crimes. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/05/ukraine-russias-war-crimes/

  1. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating Russia for the systematic looting of Ukrainian cultural heritage during its ongoing invasion, a case that involves over 1.7 million stolen art pieces and museum collections.
  2. For Ukraine, For Their Freedom and Ours!, an advocacy group, has called for immediate arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and eight other high-ranking officials for their role in the cultural plunder, which is described as the largest such spoliation in Europe since World War II.
  3. The complaint filed by For Ukraine, For Their Freedom and Ours! also includes allegations of the illegal wartime deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, with Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, stating that the warrants helped facilitate the return of children but stating that ongoing deportations continue to occur.
  4. The complaint identifies senior officials from the Russian Ministry of Culture, directors of major museums, and Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russian foreign intelligence, as the main perpetrators of this systematic policy of cultural plunder.
  5. In response to Russia's actions, ICOM, an NGO subject to French legislation, has been threatened with legal action in France if it fails to remove Russia for violating its code of ethics, with arts professionals calling for the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to eject Russia for the same reason.

Read also:

    Latest