Prosecutor Opens War Crimes Investigation For Illegal Archaeological Dig in Occupied Crimea, With Artifacts Turned Over to the Hermitage

The prosecutor’s office of the republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol is investigating two unnamed researchers, one of them associated with the Hermitage, for war crimes. The prosecutors say they participated in illegal archaeological expeditions in the territory, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. The charges could result in sentences of up to 12 years in prison. The second person of interest is a representative of “the so-called ‘Institute of Archaeology of