Coins of Rus, icons, and Tripolian vases. Who is smuggling Ukraine's national heritage abroad, and how is it being done?

Ancient ceramics, weapons from the Cossack era, gold coins, birds of extinct species – all these items are being illegally smuggled out of Ukraine. Customs officials are intercepting them at the border. How smugglers adapt to the realities of war, what happens to these historically valuable items, and what role Russia plays in all of this – is covered in this material by RBC-Ukraine.

Ukraine has suffered from the theft of cultural values throughout its history. During the war, attempts to illegally export unique artifacts from Ukraine to Russia have not diminished. On the contrary, the number of such cases has increased.

Prior to February 24, 2022, customs operated differently. Dozens of flights departed daily from airports to various countries around the world. The northeastern borders near Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv were open. With the onset of war, the skies and some borders were closed. Previously, smugglers attempted to export items to Russia, where heritage was either purchased at auctions or openly claimed as their own at the state level.

Smugglers began to adapt to the realities of war and sought other channels for illegal trade. They particularly turned to postal shipments.

"Those involved in this illegal activity are quite adept at sensing the threads they can grasp and know how to get lost in the general flow of parcels," explains RBC-Ukraine the head of Kyiv customs Sergiy Silyuk.

Video: How unique historical finds are exported from Ukraine during the war (youtube.com/РБК-Украина)

During the war, valuables are exported more frequently

"Ukrposhta" is currently processing 150,000 shipments a day. That amounts to about 3 million a month. In peak months, it’s even more. Many Ukrainians have left the country due to the war. With the holidays approaching, many are ordering goods and sending them to relatives. Therefore, the monthly total could reach up to 4.5 million shipments. That's quite a lot," says the head of Kyiv customs.

All parcels first undergo "customs clearance" and are only sent abroad after that. Many such items can be hidden in soft toys, appliances. Essentially, they can be concealed in any parcel.

Previously, "Ukrposhta" sent out 36-38 million parcels annually. With the full-scale war, the numbers dropped to 15 million. Then, the volumes gradually recovered. By 2024, Ukraine had essentially returned to the level of postal shipments that existed before the Russian invasion, customs officials note.

As the number of shipments increases, so do the instances of illegal export of cultural and other valuables. In previous years, there might have been 20-30 such protocols. In 2024, that number reached 153.

9Photo: Those involved in illegal activities are adept at getting lost in the general flow of parcels, – head of Kyiv customs Sergey Silyuk

However, the number of processed documents does not reflect the scale of how many unique items people actually want to smuggle out of the country. One parcel often contains 10 or 20 artifacts.

"It’s necessary to differentiate between drafting an administrative protocol against a violator of customs rules and halting a postal shipment, where we cannot identify the violator. In that case, the parcel is handed over to customs for formal action," explains the interviewee.

Customs officials recognized a troubling trend: during the war, items of value to the state were increasingly being smuggled out of Ukraine. Something was amiss, and action needed to be taken. They decided to increase the number of personnel specifically dealing with international shipments.

It’s essential to discern whether the items are genuinely valuable because forgeries and merely ordinary items, which may only seem "museum-worthy" at first glance, are often bought at flea markets.

After 90 days in storage, customs gains the right to dispose of the property. They then compile a list of items and hand it over to the State Customs Service, which collaborates with the Ministry of Culture to transfer these cultural values to expert institutions and museums.

For the examination of seized items, customs engages experts from relevant institutions, such as the National Museum of History of Ukraine, the National Military-Historical Museum, and the Art Museum.

Trypillia vase and extinct birds. What unique artifacts have customs seized

Scythians, Sarmatians, Trypillia culture, Greek settlements in southern Ukraine, Cossack times – various peoples have left their legacy in Ukraine throughout different historical periods.

Customs officials show us a collection of seized items, where such artifacts are stored. All are awaiting transfer to Ukrainian museums, where they will become exhibits.

0Photo: Ancient coins seized from postal shipments

In one of the numbered packages lies a key approximately a thousand years old. In others – silver coins from the Aztecs and Mayans, minted in Latin America. There are gold and silver items that are 400-500 years old, as well as coins from the 9th and 10th centuries.

In one of the cabinets, there are icons created in Ukrainian villages in the 19th century. Separate shelves are dedicated to World War II objects: medals, German helmets, and much more.

"Here, on one table, we have different epochs converging. This weapon is over a thousand years old. It was crafted by Kyiv, Scandinavian, and Polovtsian smiths. And imagine, these testaments of epochs were just traveling somewhere in a package," says the deputy head of Kyiv customs, Alexey Dirochko. "We see that there are many swords here. They were much more expensive than axes at that time. This blade from the times of Kyivan Rus was used not in battle, but for sacrifices to the gods. There’s also a very rare Viking axe made in Northern Europe."

He mentions that often media, films, and reports from Europe draw attention to such items.

There’s also a crab in the warehouse that is 250 million years old.

"Sorry, I won’t take it out because the responsible staff would be shocked," jokes the customs officer. There are even older items – fossilized stones reveal imprints of ancient animals or insects.

1Photo: A crab that is 250 million years old

Sometimes, items only resemble cultural valuables. About a hundred years ago, there was a trend to stamp the name Stradivari on violins. However, the artisans of that time were just trying to increase the value of the item. But these instruments have nothing in common with the real Stradivari. They are also interesting historical items, but they are valued differently and approached with different methods.

Next to other items in the warehouse are books that appear to be at least 400 years old.

"It’s common to give books, especially old ones, as gifts. But sometimes keeping such items at home is dangerous," says Alexey. "Because there is evidence that these books were held by a priest when he performed last rites for victims of the bubonic plague. And who knows, perhaps the spores of the disease that humanity has long overcome remain on this paper!"

Often, smugglers and their accomplices deliberately "age" items to sell them for more. They treat them with chemicals to make them resemble ancient artifacts. In reality, such "antiques" can turn out to be ordinary pieces of metal for which inexperienced buyers pay thousands of dollars.

Alexey shows some exhibits that only look like antiques.

"And then the dealers deceive European consumers by selling them as something unique," he states.

2Photo: In the Arab Emirates, "rare birds of extinct species" were "ordered"

Across the border, attempts are sometimes made to export items of which many are completely unaware. It’s surprising that such things are still sought after in the 21st century.

For instance, in Europe, modern jewelers and other craftsmen are still commissioned to create prohibited paraphernalia from the time of Nazi Germany. The deputy head of customs suspects that the clients are modern neo-Nazis.

"Have you heard of 'Ahnenerbe'? This was a nationalist, secret mystical organization that once brought Hitler to power. They order replicas of such items for ancient rituals. They used to include ancient scrolls, wear ritual robes, and conduct ceremonies," Alexey explains.

There have also been attempts to smuggle unique birds across the border. Both live ones and replicas. Sadly, the rarer the bird, the greater the interest in it. And if it’s a bird of an extinct species listed in the so-called "Black Book," the "hunting" for it becomes even more intense.

"Three years ago, we stopped a channel for supplying live birds to the Arab Emirates. They were sedated with drugs