‘Catastrophic’: Putin’s War Is Wiping Out Ukraine’s Ancient History

Since Vladimir Putin’s Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, the impact on the country’s archaeological heritage has been devastating—countless precious objects and sites have been damaged or destroyed and museums looted.

“The goal of Putin’s war against Ukraine is not only the seizure of its territory and subjugation of the Ukrainian people, but also the destruction of their identity, history and public memory,” he said. “For this reason, objects of cultural heritage have become a special target for the enemy.”

The Monitoring Group gave an interview to NEWSWEEK