Over this year, Russian occupants have damaged and destroyed about 500 cultural and historical sites in the occupied Crimea.
In particular, illegal excavations and construction on cultural heritage sites, as well as the theft of museum exhibits have been recorded. This was reported at a press conference of the Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies.
As noted Denis Yashny noted , head of the monitoring group of the Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies, among the destroyed objects was the necropolis Frontovoe.
‘ We cannot put the excavated objects on the record without accurate surveys, but we can record them. Often the results of these works are published in Russian scientific publications,’ Yashnyy emphasised. For example, the Frontovoe-3 burial ground, which was unique for Crimea, has been completely destroyed. There were about 300 burial structures there.
Industrial heritage also remains a non-priority for Ukraine. Russian occupants destroyed the winery in Akmesjit (Simferepol), which existed since the XIX century. A residential building was erected in its place. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center notes that the occupants use cultural and historical sites as a tool for ideological and cultural assimilation. The destruction and appropriation of Crimean heritage is part of the Russian Federation’s strategy to rewrite history and create more influence in the occupied territories.