Russia excluded from ICOM: the association requests expulsion

by Redazione , published on 08/05/2025
Categories: News / Disclaimer

A French association militant for a free Ukraine, for Ukraine, for their freedom and ours, has published an open letter in the world calling for the expulsion of ICOM Russia, the International Museum Council, due to the repeated violations of the Ukrainian cultural heritage by Russia.

Take Russia out of ICOMthe International Council of museums main instance representative of museums In the world: this is what a non -profit French association requires, “for Ukraine, for their freedom and ours”, in an open letter published in the newspaper The world. The association, represented by analyst Christian Castagna, specialist in European and international affairs, works in particular on the question of cultural goods Devastated during the three years of war launched by Russia on February 24, 2022: to date, the association recalls the UNESCO has identified 494 sites destroyed or damaged since the start of the war, including 149 religious buildings, 257 historical buildings, 33 monuments (including also the Holocaust memorials), 18 libraries, 34 museums and 2 archaeological sites.

“However, Moscow’s objective is not only to destroy, but also to appropriate the Ukrainian heritage. It is also a question of appropriating the Ukrainian heritage and of” russiaifying it “whenever possible. Since the occupation of Crimea in February 2014, a systematic policy of redefinition of cultural identity has been implemented. Thousands of works of art are transferred to the institutions Russians ”. The association also cites some examples: for example, the large exhibition on Ivan Aivazovsky organized in 2016 at the Tret’jakov gallery in the exhibition, where 38 of the 120 works on display came from Crimea collections occupied by Russia. And again, the dismantling of the site archaeological of Chersonèseone of the seven Ukrainian sites listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on which a museum entitled “Museum of Crimea and Novorossija” (new Russia) was also installed in July 2024, to justify the Russian claims of “reconquest” of the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.

“These systematic looting, explains the association, respond to a clear political agenda: to realize the imperial fantasy of a” great Russia “; a vision which has been inscribed in the law in Russia by the vote by the Duma of constitutional amendments legitimizing the annexation of the Crimea and four oblasters of Ukraine (Donetsk, Lougansk, Dear and Zaporizhia). 2023, the “methodological recommendations for the creation of exhibitions devoted to the history of the” special military operation “in the museums of the Russian Federation” were also published, which were almost immediately implemented by the directors of the Russian museums, in particular in the institutions “twinned” with museums located in the occupied territories. (as in Rostov-sur-le-Don in October 2024) for “Recataloguer” Ukrainian collections in the Russian museum system and align their cultural programming on historical revisionism of the Kremlin. “Today, says the association, the collections of 77 Ukrainian museums in the occupied territories are included in the State catalog of the Museums of the Russian Federation.

Such acts “constitute in any event of violations of international law, in particular the Hague Convention of 1954 for the protection of cultural goods in the event of armed conflict, of which Russia is signatory. The arguments in favor of legal responsibility are solid. The evidence abounds and certain authors have personally documented their crimes”. In addition, according to Ukraine, “several Russian museum directors have been identified as accomplices; one of the most virulent is Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the hermitage in Saint Petersburg, who has ideologically justified looting”. It is to be hoped that the application of international law will one day allow to condemn these crimes and to return the stolen goods. But legal action can take decades. In the meantime, Russian art merchants are already renewing links with collectors in major international fairs, especially in Maastricht “.

For these reasons, the association requests theExpulsion of ICOM Russia: “Urgent measures are necessary and concrete decisions can be taken immediately: to expel Russia from the International Museum Council (ICOM) and the staff of the Russian museums involved in the looting of Ukrainian collections in the occupied territories. Article 7.2 of the ICOM Code of Ethics Clearly stipulates:” Museum policy must take into account ICOM ethics “.

“The maintenance within ICOM of institutions and individuals involved in the destruction, looting and falsification of cultural heritage is a blatant violation of these principles”, concludes for Ukraine. “Expel the Russia from ICOM is the least that we can expect from a French law institution, dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage and the application of ethical standards in international museum cooperation. Many national committees have already requested this sanction, without success until now. Will it be necessary that the French courts oblige ICOM to respect its own rules?

Among the signatories of the letter are several experts: the Kostanin curator Akinsha, then Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza, founder of “Museums for Ukraine”, and Vitalit Tytych, head of legal affairs for the Ukrainian section of ICOM. For the moment, ICOM has not yet reacted.

Warning: French translation of the original Italian article was carried out using automatic tools. We are committed to revising all the articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the Ita button. If you find an error, please contact us.