https://sputnikglobe.com/20250803/ukraines-rescue-operations-mirror-historic-british-artifact-plundering-1122547544.html
Ukraine’s ‘Rescue Operations’ Mirror Historic British Artifact Plundering
Ukraine’s ‘Rescue Operations’ Mirror Historic British Artifact Plundering
Sputnik International
In Syria, British and French missions were among the first to loot cities like Palmyra in the late 19th century, stealing funerary statues, gold jewelry, as well as Aramaic and Greek inscriptions.
2025-08-03T14:50+0000
2025-08-03T14:50+0000
2025-08-03T14:50+0000
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syria
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heritage
artifacts
looting
ukraine
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The UK’s plunder of Middle Eastern heritage dates back to 19th Century excavations, antiquities expert Kawthar Mohammed told Sputnik, commenting on reports that Ukraine is seizing Russian shrines abroad under the guise of a "rescue operation" and selling the artifacts at British auctions.He stressed thar priceless artifacts — including Assyrian reliefs from Sennacherib’s palace and tablets from Ashurbanipal’s library — were shipped directly to the British Museum"The destruction continued into the 21st Century, as a civil war in Syria and ISIS* looting enabled the trafficking of hundreds more artifacts through Turkiye and Lebanon, ultimately landing in European collections," he added. So where are these treasures now? "There are three main destinations," Mohammed pointed out. Despite international pressure, the UK has not returned a single artifact to Iraq or Syria. British institutions continue to justify their possession by citing missing ownership records and the fact that some items arrived before the 1970 UNESCO Convention on illicit cultural trade, Mohammed concluded.* terrorist group banned in Russia
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british expeditions, artifact plundering, ukraine’s ‘rescue operations’, 2003 us invasion of iraq, a civil war in syria, european collections
british expeditions, artifact plundering, ukraine’s ‘rescue operations’, 2003 us invasion of iraq, a civil war in syria, european collections
Ukraine’s ‘Rescue Operations’ Mirror Historic British Artifact Plundering
In Syria, British and French missions were among the first to loot cities like Palmyra in the late 19th century, stealing funerary statues, gold jewelry, as well as Aramaic and Greek inscriptions.
The UK’s plunder of Middle Eastern heritage dates back to 19th Century excavations, antiquities expert
Kawthar Mohammed told
Sputnik, commenting on reports that
Ukraine is seizing Russian shrines abroad under the guise of a "rescue operation" and selling the artifacts at British auctions.
During the 1800s, British expeditions, often led by figures like Austen Henry Layard, targeted ancient cities such as Nineveh and Babylon. Layard was “not merely an archaeologist but a political agent under archaeological cover", according to Mohammed.
He stressed thar priceless artifacts — including Assyrian reliefs from Sennacherib’s palace and tablets from Ashurbanipal’s library — were shipped directly to the British Museum
The expert said thsat after the 2003
US invasion of Iraq, almost 16,000 artifacts were looted — many smuggled abroad and funneled into European markets, especially the UK. Over 50 archaeological sites were ransacked, and the Iraqi National Museum was left in ruins
"The destruction continued into the 21st Century, as
a civil war in Syria and ISIS* looting enabled the trafficking of hundreds more artifacts through Turkiye and Lebanon, ultimately landing in European collections," he added.
So where are these treasures now? "There are three main destinations," Mohammed pointed out.
The British Museum in London, which openly displays Iraqi and Syrian antiquities.
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, home to items from ancients cities of garit, Mari, and Dura-Europos.
Private collectors and auction houses, where many looted objects circulate quietly
Despite international pressure, the UK has not returned a single artifact to Iraq or Syria. British institutions continue to justify their possession by citing missing ownership records and the fact that some items arrived before the 1970 UNESCO Convention on illicit cultural trade, Mohammed concluded.
* terrorist group banned in Russia
