Russia destroys Crimea's Chersonesus landmark, builds theater in its place

Evelina Kravchenko, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, said this at the III International Forum of the Crimean Platform Expert Network, UP.Life reports. 

According to her, Russian developers have built an open-air theater on the site of the archaeological excavations. At the same time, some of the archaeological finds were taken to Russian museums.

Kravchenko said that Russia is destroying the authenticity of the monuments with new buildings. 

"Negative processes are now taking place with the only monument of world significance that we managed to nominate and include in the list of monuments in Crimea - Tauric Chersonese," she said. 

Back in 2015-2016, Russian developers covered the archaeological remains that were on the surface with viewing platforms, including towers, walls, and columns. Later, they built an open-air theater on the site of Chersonese, putting a load of about a ton on the monument.

"The Russians didn't know anything about the geological situation at this site, so they started excavating the soil with ordinary excavators. Somehow, they dug up an ancient spring there, so everything was flooded," Kravchenko said.

The scholar said that Russia also took some of the archaeological finds, including frescoes, dishes, household items, and icons, to its museums. 

• On July 5, 2023, reports indicated that Russian-appointed administration in Sevastopol was preparing documents for the removal of more than 300,000 exhibits from the Tauric Chersonese Museum-Reserve for alleged restoration. At that time, the Russian appointees prepared acts of "transfer for restoration for further display outside the museum" for 300,000 exhibits from the collections. 
• Later, it was reported that the Russians were excavating the ruins of the ancient and Byzantine city-state of Chersonese, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They aim to use these excavations to support claims that the site belongs to Russia.