The gold tiara, encrusted with precious stones by master craftsmen some 1,500 years ago, was one of the world’s most valuable artifacts from the bloody reign of Attila the Hun, who fought in Europe in the fifth century AD. Now the Hun diadem has disappeared from the museum in Ukraine, where it was kept. Perhaps – historians fear – forever. Russian troops moved the priceless crown and a trove of other treasures after capturing the Ukrainian city of Melitopol in February, museum officials say.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is already in its eighth month, is accompanied by the destruction and looting of historical sites and treasures on an industrial scale, Ukrainian authorities say, News.ro reports.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the Minister of Culture of Ukraine stated that the Russian military took exhibits from almost 40 Ukrainian museums. Robbery and destruction of cultural objects caused losses of hundreds of millions of euros, Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko added.

The attitude of Russians towards Ukrainian cultural heritage is a war crime, he said.

At the moment, the Ukrainian government and its Western arms suppliers are focused primarily on defeating Russia on the battlefield. But if and when peace returns, preserving Ukraine’s collections of art, history and culture will also be vital so that those who survived the war can begin the next battle: rebuilding their lives.

“These are museums, historical buildings, churches. Everything that was built and created by generations of Ukrainians,” said the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska in September, while visiting the Ukrainian Museum in New York. “This is a war against our identity.”

“If culture disappears, it is an irreparable disaster”

Employees of the Melitopol Local History Museum first tried to hide the Hun diadem and hundreds of other treasures when Russian troops stormed the city from the south. But after weeks of repeated searches, Russian soldiers finally discovered the building’s secret basement, where staff had placed the museum’s most valuable pieces, including the Hun tiara, according to a museum employee.

The worker, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he feared Russian retaliation for even discussing the events, said Ukrainians did not know where Russian forces had taken the precious items, which included the tiara and about 1,700 other artifacts.

The diadem is one of the few Hun crowns in the world. According to a museum employee, among other treasures that disappeared with the arrival of the Russian invaders, there are 198 2,400-year-old gold coins from the era of the Scythians, nomads who moved from Central Asia to the south of Russia and Ukraine and founded an empire in the Crimea.

“These are ancient finds. These are works of art. They are priceless,” said Oleksandr Symonenko, chief researcher of the Institute of Archeology of Ukraine. “If culture disappears, it is an irreparable disaster.”

The Ministry of Culture of Russia did not respond to questions about the Melitopol collection, the Associated Press notes.

The city council of Mariupol in exile said that Russian troops stole more than 2,000 exhibits from the city’s museums. Among the most valuable items were ancient religious icons, a unique handwritten Torah scroll, a 200-year-old Bible and more than 200 medals, the council said.

Also looted were artworks by Mariupol-born Arkhip Kuindzhi and Crimean-born Ivan Aivazovsky, both known for their seascapes, exiled advisers said. They said Russian troops had transported their stolen awards to the Russian-controlled Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

The invasion also caused significant damage and destruction to Ukraine’s cultural heritage. The UN cultural agency keeps a count of places hit by rockets, bombs and explosions. As the war enters its eighth month, the agency says it has checked damage at 199 locations in 12 regions.

Among them are 84 churches and other religious objects, 37 historical buildings, 37 cultural buildings, 18 monuments, 13 museums and 10 libraries, according to UNESCO.

The Ukrainian government says the figure is even higher, and authorities say the number of destroyed and damaged religious buildings is at least 270.

While the invaders were looking for treasures to steal, Ukrainian museum workers did everything possible to prevent them from falling into the hands of Russia. Tens of thousands of units were evacuated from the front line and from areas affected by the fighting.

In Kyiv, the director of the Museum of Historical Jewels of Ukraine lived in the building, guarding his artifacts, during the first weeks of the invasion, when Russian forces tried unsuccessfully to encircle Kyiv.

“We were afraid of the Russian occupiers, because they are destroying everything that can be identified as Ukrainian,” recalled director Nataliya Panchenko.

Fearing an assault on the city by Russian troops, she tried to confuse them by removing a sign near the entrance to the museum. He also dismantled exhibits, carefully packed artifacts in boxes for evacuation.

One day, she hopes, they will return to their rightful place. So far, the museum only shows children.

“These things were fragile, they survived for hundreds of years,” she said. “I couldn’t bear the thought that it might be lost.”