Romanian Culture Minister Lucian Romašcanu discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksandr Tkachenko on Saturday morning the possible theft of Stephen the Great’s paintings from the Kherson Museum by the Russian occupying forces.

The Museum of History in Kherson before the Russian aggressionPhoto: DreamsTime / Multipedia2014

Romashkanu said on his Facebook page that he had given him details about the Pisans and received a promise that he would receive official information as soon as possible.

“From his information regarding the actions of the Russian aggressor, there is certain evidence that paintings were stolen from the museums of Mariupol, and gold artifacts from the museums of Melitopol, some of which, as you know, have already been put up for sale,” reminds the Romanian official.

“Regarding the situation in Kherson, given the current situation on the ground, there is no accurate information, but we promise to check what we reported as soon as possible,” Romashkanu added.

“I repeated his promise to help evacuate and preserve Ukrainian heritage that is in danger, after analyzing and coming back with specific requests,” the Romanian culture minister said.

The Russians allegedly stole Stephen the Great’s books from Kherson

The Moldavian writings of Stephen the Great, 15th-century artifacts taken from the walls of the White Citadel on the Dniester, were allegedly stolen from a museum in Kherson and taken to Crimea by Putin’s army, according to Anatoly Popescu, founding president of the Association of Romanians of Southern Bessarabia, Digi24 quoted.

In 1838, during the time of the tsarist administration, one or two Pisans were torn from the walls of the fortress and taken to the Odessa Museum, he explained.

“During the Romanian administration in the interwar period, at least one was still on the walls. Romanian archaeologists of the interwar period conducted research, but they were lost in the 50s and nothing was known until 2013, when they were discovered by Andrii Krasnozhon in a museum in Kherson,” said Anatoly Popescu.

“Pisanii” are slabs with Slavic inscriptions that testify to events on the walls of the fortress, says Popescu.

(article photo: © Multipedia2014 | Dreamstime.com)