Russians steal Potemkin's remains from occupied territory

Kherson blogger under the pseudonym "Bidlo", also known as the occupation "Minister of Culture of Kherson Region" Artem Lagoyetsky, together with a Russian officer, stole the remains of the famous Russian Empire statesman Grigory Potemkin. This incident occurred shortly before the Russian troops withdrew from Kherson.

As Yevheniia Motorevska, head of the war crimes investigations department at The Kyiv Independent, reported on her Facebook page, Lagoyetsky himself sent her a photo showing him and a Russian officer handling the remains – either placing them in a coffin or removing them from it.

According to the journalist, Lagoyetsky believed he was communicating with a producer from the Russian TV channel NTV, but was actually speaking with her. In the correspondence, Lagoyetsky noted: "I will send you a photo now, but do not show it to anyone. The governor is against it appearing anywhere" ("Я вам сейчас отправлю фото, но вы никому его не показывайте. Губернатор против, чтобы оно где-то появилось").

The journalist also clarified that the officer involved in the theft of the remains held a high-ranking position in the Russian Federation's occupation forces and wielded significant influence. He was responsible for the removal of museum valuables from Kherson, placed seals on stolen property, and personally oversaw the export of Scythian and Sarmatian gold from the local history museum.

This case will form part of a new documentary film titled "Official Robbery", which will have its premiere on 23 January at the "Zhovten" cinema in Kyiv. Yevheniia Motorevska noted that the film is based on real events and promised viewers "funny moments" demonstrating the incompetence of the collaborators.

"For several months, under the guise of being a 'producer' or an 'investigator from Moscow', I communicated with various people from the occupied Left Bank of Kherson Region and Crimea to uncover all the details of this robbery. It turned into an interesting story about a crime," the journalist added.