Abstract
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 inflicted severe damage on the country’s cultural heritage, triggering an upsurge in attempts to export cultural property across its borders. This paper deals with relevant issues related to the policy of Ukraine regarding the prevention of the export of cultural property abroad and the expertise of confiscated cultural property, as well as underscores the significance of enhancing state policy in this sphere in response to the challenges caused by Russian invasion. The notable increase in illegal attempts to export antiquities abroad requires a revision of the procedure for appointing and conducting the expertise of confiscated objects. This primarily applies to excessively prolonged periods of expertise, the lack of uniform rules applicable to all art experts regardless of their affiliations, and the ambiguous criteria defining “cultural property” in Ukrainian legislation. The paper proposes measures to resolve these difficulties, including introducing preliminary expertise at customs control, unifying the requirements for experts’ conclusions, and clarifying definitions in legislation.
Funding source: CEFRES, UAR 3138 CNRS–MEAE
Acknowledgments
The author expresses deep gratitude to Mateusz Chmurski and the entire CEFRES team for inspiring interest in the protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage and providing a platform to discuss this issue at CEFRES seminars and workshops. Special thanks are due to Deputy Director of OSRIFE Margarita Zhuravleva for her invaluable assistance in the preparation of this paper.
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Research funding: The work on this paper was funded by CFA – CEFRES non-residential fellowships for Ukrainian researchers in humanities and social sciences.
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Competing interest: The author reports no conflict of interest.
References
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© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Introduction
- Research Articles
- I Rethink. Objects, models, and methods in Humanities and Social Sciences since the invasion of Ukraine
- From Neopatrimonial Science to Consumption of Academic Degrees: The Case of Political Science in Ukraine
- Quality of Life in the Hetmanate and Left-Bank Ukraine in the 18th–19th Centuries: Between ‘Subjective’ Narratives and ‘Objective’ Markers
- In a Stranger’s House: Social Isolation of Internally Displaced People in Ukraine During Wartime
- The Effects of Sensory Language in Human Trafficking Survival Storytelling: An Empirical Study
- II Facing Familiar Violence
- Who Actually Killed the “Angel in the House”? Love, War and Independence in Zofia Nałkowska and Virginia Woolf
- The Play A Maiden’s Love by Maria Kuncewiczowa as an Example of a Representation of the Subject of Abortion in Polish Interwar Theatre
- Dehumanization Practices: Effects of Violence on Self-Identity in Diana Balyko’s Plays
- Report
- Export of Cultural Property from Ukraine: State Policy and the Challenges of War
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Introduction
- Research Articles
- I Rethink. Objects, models, and methods in Humanities and Social Sciences since the invasion of Ukraine
- From Neopatrimonial Science to Consumption of Academic Degrees: The Case of Political Science in Ukraine
- Quality of Life in the Hetmanate and Left-Bank Ukraine in the 18th–19th Centuries: Between ‘Subjective’ Narratives and ‘Objective’ Markers
- In a Stranger’s House: Social Isolation of Internally Displaced People in Ukraine During Wartime
- The Effects of Sensory Language in Human Trafficking Survival Storytelling: An Empirical Study
- II Facing Familiar Violence
- Who Actually Killed the “Angel in the House”? Love, War and Independence in Zofia Nałkowska and Virginia Woolf
- The Play A Maiden’s Love by Maria Kuncewiczowa as an Example of a Representation of the Subject of Abortion in Polish Interwar Theatre
- Dehumanization Practices: Effects of Violence on Self-Identity in Diana Balyko’s Plays
- Report
- Export of Cultural Property from Ukraine: State Policy and the Challenges of War