Let's Expel Russia from the International Council of Museums
- appelpourlukraine
- May 4
- 8 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
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'Ukraine has never existed', Putin and Russian ideologists continue to claim. Their version of history is not merely rhetorical—it underpins a campaign to systematically erase the cultural identity Ukraine has built over centuries. As of February 2025, UNESCO has documented the destruction or damage of 485 cultural sites since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Among them: 149 religious buildings, 249 historic structures, 33 monuments (including Holocaust memorials), 18 libraries, 32 museums, and 2 archaeological sites.
But for Moscow, the goal is not only destruction. It is also appropriation—an effort to “Russify” Ukrainian heritage wherever possible. The campaign began with the occupation of Crimea in February 2014, when a deliberate policy of cultural rebranding was implemented. Thousands of artworks were transferred from Crimean museums to institutions in Russia. In 2016, the Tretyakov Gallery hosted a major exhibition of the 19th-century marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky. Of the 120 works on display, 38 were taken from Crimean collections. Despite protests by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, major European museums continued collaborating with the Tretyakov until the full-scale invasion in 2022. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chersonese was similarly dismantled, looted, and reconfigured in July 2024 to host among others a new “Museum of Crimea and Novorossiya”—a propaganda complex justifying Russian claims to Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions.
Since February 2022, the looting has intensified across newly occupied territories. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian cultural objects have been removed to Crimea or Russia. In Kherson, curators linked to pro-Kremlin historical societies, working under FSB supervision, guided Russian forces in looting the Oleksii Shovkunenko Museum and the Museum of Local History—over 13,000 objects were stolen. In Mariupol, the Russian military seized major works by Aristarkh Kuindzhi and Ivan Aivazovsky. The Scythian Gold collection from Melitopol’s Museum of Local History simply vanished.
A systematic plundering
This systematic plundering reflects a clear political agenda: to fulfill the imperial fantasy of a “Greater Russia.” In a July 12, 2021 speech, Putin called for “the historic unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” a formulation that denies Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent nation. This vision has been embedded into law by the Russian Duma through constitutional amendments justifying the annexation of Crimea and four eastern and southern Ukrainian oblasts. In May 2023, the Russian Ministry of Culture issued “Methodological Recommendations for the Creation of Exhibitions on the ‘Special Military Operation’ in Russian Museums,” which museum directors began implementing almost immediately—especially in institutions “twinned” with museums in occupied territories. Under the banner of the Russian Historical Society, staff from so-called “Novorossiya” were trained in places like Rostov-on-Don to re-catalog Ukrainian collections under the Russian museum system and to align programming with Kremlin historical revisionism. Today, the collections of 77 Ukrainian museums in the occupied territories are included in the State Catalogue of the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation.
These acts, even if temporarily “legalised” by Russian decree, remain violations of international law—particularly of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which Russia is a signatory. The case for legal accountability is strong. Evidence is plentiful, and some perpetrators have even documented their own crimes. Several Russian museum directors have been identified as complicit; among the most vocal is Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsky, a self-declared “imperialist” who has provided ideological justification for the looting. The application of international law may one day bring justice and the restitution of stolen cultural assets—but legal proceedings could take decades. Meanwhile, Russian art dealers are already reestablishing links with collectors at major international fairs, including in Maastricht.
Exclude Russia from the International Council of Museums
It is therefore urgent to take concrete measures now: exclude Russia and Russian museum staff involved in the looting of Ukrainian collections in the occupied territories from the International Council of Museums. Article 7.2 of the ICOM Code of Ethics clearly states: “Museum policy should take note of international legislation serving as a standard for the interpretation of the ICOM code of ethics.” Continued membership by institutions and individuals engaged in the destruction, looting, and falsification of cultural heritage flagrantly violates these principles. Expelling Russia from ICOM is the very least that can be expected of an institution governed by French law and dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage and the enforcement of ethical standards in international museum cooperation. Many national committees have already called for this action—so far without success.
Will it take intervention by French courts to compel ICOM to follow its own rules?
This opinion piece is supported by:
Konstantin Akinsha, Art Historian, Curator of the exhibition ‘In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine 1900–1930’
Harald Binder, Founder of the Jam Factory Art Centre in Lviv
Vanessa Branson, Founder of the Marrakech Biennale
Me Emmanuel Daoud, ICC Counsel
Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Composer, Artist, and Curator
Sylvie Rollet, Chairwoman of For Ukraine, for their freedom and ours!
Olga Sagaïdak, Chairwoman of the Coalition of Cultural Actors, former director of the Ukrainian Institute in France
Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza, Founder of Museums for Ukraine
Vitalit Tytych, Head of Legal Affairs at ICOM Ukraine, Chair of the Raphael Lemkin Lawyers' Association
Signatories
Museums and Libraries
Olga Apenko, Museum Curator, Ukraine
Iryna Brunda, Library Director, Ukraine
Michèle Bruni, Scientific Collections Curator, France
Gisèle Caumont, honorary curator, France
Yan Ciret, Writer, Exhibition curator, Radio France Producer, France
Élisabeth Delahaye, Honorary Curator, France
Nataliia Dziuba, Museum Director, Ukraine
Barbara Essaïan, Easel Painting Restorer and Curator, France
Olha Frasyniuk, Museum Employee, Ukraine
Liudmila Gubianuri, Director of the Kyiv Mikhail Bulgakov Museum, Kyiv, Ukraine
Svitlana Hodun, Librarian, Ukraine
Hanna Klymenko, Head of Education at Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum, Ukraine
Vasyl Kmet, Historian, Director of the Lviv Municipal Library, Ukraine
Liana Komardenko, Educational Department Manager at Mystetskyi arsenal Art and Culture Museum, Ukraine
Evelina Kravchenko, Dr., Archaeologist, Ukraine
Ihor Kulyk, Director, Sectoral State Archive of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (Archive of National Remembrance), Ukraine
Alla Kutsokin (Алла Куцокінь), Librarian, Ukraine
Mayatska Lesia, Librarian, Ukraine
Yuliia Lysiuk, Librarian, Ukraine
Yuliia Machkovska, Painting Conservator, Ukraine
Uliana Moroz, Director of Lviv Regional Puppet Theater, Ukraine
Natalia Mytsai, OKZ Director, G.S. Skovoroda Literary Museum and National Memorial, Ukraine (Наталія Мицай, Директор ОКЗ "Національний літературно-меморіальний музей Г.С. Сковороди", Українка)
Olha Novikova, Museum employee, Ukraine
Natalia Novosyelova, Librarian, Ukraine
Tetyana Prodan, Рroject manager at the Solomiya Krushelnytska Music and Memorial Museum in Lviv, Ukraine
Hanna Putova, Leading Researcher, Museum of the History of the City of Kyiv, Ukraine
Olena Radzyvill (Олена Радзивілл), Maliivci Regional History and Culture Museum, Ukraine
Ingrid Rose, Paper Conservator, USA
Hanna Rudyk, Deputy Director of the Khanenko national Museum, Ukraine
William Saadé, Honorary Curator, France and Switzerland
Victoria Samokhina, Academician, National Academy of Higher Education of Ukraine
Christine Vallat, Librarian, France
First Signatories
Gilles Antonowicz, Honorary Barrister, Historian, France
Antoine Arjakovsky, Research Director at the Collège des Bernardins, France
Julien Bayou, Lawyer, former Member of Parliament, France
Gérard Bensussan, Philosopher, Professor Emeritus, University of Strasbourg, France
Sophie Bouchet-Petersen, retired State Councillor, France
Denis-Laurent Bouyer, Art Critic, France
Bernard Bruneteau, professor emeritus, France
Christian Castagna, Chair of VoisinageS, advocacy for Pour l'Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre !, France
Pierre Corcos, Art critic, France
Annie Daubenton, Journalist, France
Raymon Douyère, Honorary Member of Parliament, France
Scott Erwin, Economist, Department of Health and Social Services, Canada/USA
Grégoire Fabre, member of the family of Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky, Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks, France
Hélène Funck Dloussky, retired international civil servant, France
Anouk Grinberg, Actress, France
Florence Hartmann, Journalist, France
Martine Jodeau, Honorary State Councillor, France
Nadia Jurczak, Associate Judge, National Court of Asylum, France
Yan de Kerorguen, Journalist, France
Irène Le Roch, Anthropologist, France
Sylvie Lindeperg, Historian, France
Sarah Moon, Photographer, France
Véronique Nahoum-Grappe, Anthropologist, France
Gérard Onesta, former Vice-President of the European Parliament, France
Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Artist
Alla Poedie, international relations consultant, France
Jean-Luc Poget, Advisor on Climate, Energy and Economic Policy, France
Alain Rabatel, Emeritus Professor of Language Sciences, France
Gudrun Steinacker, retired ambassador and vice-president of the SüdOstEuropa Gesellschaft (SOG), Germany
Pascal Turlan, International Lawyer, Director of an investigation team in Ukraine, The Hague
Marie-Françoise Verdun, Honorary Magistrate, France
Jean-Claude Villemonteix, former Diplomat, France
Emmanuel Wallon, professor emeritus of political sociology, France
Tristan Weddigen, Art Historian, Switzerland
Culture and Arts
Jean-Marc Adolphe, Editor-in-chief of the online media outlet Les Humanités, France
Gilles Antonowicz, Historian, Lawyer, France
Yann Barte, Journalist, France
Louis Bastin, Documentary Filmmaker, France
Eugénie Boissady, Pianist, Composer, France
Marc Bonneville, Photographer, France
Marc Chaudeur, Writer, Translator, France
Julie Chaumette, Artist, France
Catherine Cleret, Communication, Culture/Performing Arts, France
Stéphane Dalmat, Founder of UKRAFT, Franco-Ukrainian painting exhibition, France
Yerant Douvalian, illustrator, France
Karen Entrialgo, Professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo
Guylaine Floury-Dagorn, PhD in Arts, Literature and Languages, translator, France
Joël Fréminet, retired Dramatic Actor, France
Alain Genest, Photographer, France
Christophe Girard, former Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of cultural affairs, France
Gerhard Gnauck, Historian, Mykola-Haievoi-Zentrum, Munich University (MHZ / LMU), Germany
Pavel Gol'din, Professor, Dr., Leading Researcher, Ukraine
Hervé Goube, Artist, France
Jean-Yves Guérin, Professor of French literature at Sorbonne Nouvelle University, France
Jean-Pierre Haine, journalist, editor-in-chief, Belgium
Liudmyla Hararuk, Art Manager, Ukraine
Kostyantyn Hritsenko, Artist, Ukraine
Konstantin Friedrich Kaiser, poet and man of the Enlightenment, Verein zur Förderung und Erforschung der antifaschistischen Literatur [Association for the Promotion and Research of Anti-Fascist Literature], Austria
Olesia Khomenko, tourist guide, Ukraine
Geneviève Lefebvre, Mediator, Author, France
Mariana Levytska, Art Historian, Ukraine
Irena Lystopad, Franco-Ukrainian writer
Chowra Makaremi, Anthropologist and Film-maker, France
Jean-Paul Marleix, photographer, France
Laurent Maupas, Audiovisual project manager
Godefroy de Maupeou, Film-maker, France
Catherine Pietri, Actress, France
Philippe Morel, Professor Emeritus of art history, France
Erika Nimis, Historienne et photographe, France & Canada
Sonja Pleßl, Zwischenwelt International; Journalist et translator, Austria
Vlada Ralko, Artist, Ukraine
Antoine Rault, Novelist and Playwright, France
Dominique Rebaud, Choreographer, France
Gilles Rivière, Anthropologist, France
Antoine Sabbagh, Historian and Publisher, France
Valérie de St-Do, Journalist and Writer, France
Olga Sinkova Barrière, PhD candidate in medieval art history, France
Liza Sirenko, Head of media The Claquers, Ukraine
Béatrice Soulé, Film-maker, France
Gustave de Staël, Illustrator, France
Veronika Syrotlina, Artist, Ukraine
Anna Szczepanska, Lecturer, Researcher, Film Director, France & Poland
Jérôme Triaud, Library Director, France
Dominique Varma, Professor, Writer, Film-maker, France
Myroslava Zbozhna, Artist, Ukraine
Civil Society Organisations
Patrick Angelvy, Secretary General of Pharmacists Without Borders 94
Vera Ammer, MEMORIAL Deutschland
Nataliya Batarina, Collegiate Administrator of Association Volya, France
Oleksandra Bertin, Chair of the Association Ukraine Amitié
Ivana Kushnir-Baron, Communication Manager, Solidarité Bretagne-Ukraine, France
Lesya Darricau-Dmytrenko, Chair of Perspectives Ukrainiennes, France
Henri David, Chair of ARASFEC United for Ukraine, France
Anna Dopira, Association Une Main pour Demain
Anne-Marie Goussard, Coordination France Lituanie, France
Inna Le Gall, Chair of Association des Ukrainiens et des Amis de l'Ukraine RCVL, France
André Lange, Coordinator of the Denis Diderot Committee, France
André Klarsfeld, Assistant Secretary of Pour l'Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre !, France
Bernard Joliot, slaviste, président de l'ONG Pout Off , France
Joanna Lasserre, Architect, Chair of Association Défense de la Démocratie en Pologne
Florent Murer, Chair of Association Kalyna, France
David Noel, Chair of the Human Rights League (LDH) of Pas-de-Calais, France
Elisabeth Nicoli, Chair of the Alliance des Femmes pour la Démocratie (Women's Alliance for Democracy), co-Director of Éditions des femmes Antoinette Fouque
Jean-Pierre Pasternak, Chair of Union des Ukrainiens de France,
Svitlana Poix, Chair of the Association La maison ukrainienne, France
Elie Puigmal, Mayor and General Councillor from 2001 to 2015; Chair of the Comité laïcité république des Pyrénées-Orientales (Secularism Committee of the Pyrénées-Orientales).
Pierre Raiman, Co-Founder de Pour l'Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre !
Florence Samson, official representative of the Ukrainian charity Lviv Бонум Foundation, France
Charles Tiné, Head of a humanitarian NGO in Ukraine
Christine Villeneuve, Co-Director of Éditions des femmes-Antoinette Fouque
Othar Zourabichvili, Chair of the Georgian Association in France
Public signatures
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