Dozens of rare 19th-century Russian books have been stolen from Warsaw University’s library and its director Anna Volodko has been fired, the university announced on Tuesday, AFP reported.

These “personnel decisions” are related to the “stealing of several dozen items” from the library, the university said in a statement.

“One of the readers left blank covers and copies instead of the original editions,” says the message of the dismissed library director Anna Volodko, published on social networks, adding that about 80 books were stolen.

“We suspect that the thefts were carried out to order. All the stolen editions are in Russian,” Ms. Volodko added, noting that they are “Russian editions of the 19th century.”

“Such types of work are included in the offers of auction houses and antique shops operating on the Russian market,” she said, adding that the value of the stolen items is “very difficult” to estimate.

She also said the library reported the theft to the police and took “all necessary steps” to ensure the theft was properly investigated. (Photo: Emeric Drozdovskyi | Dreamstime.com)