On April 8, 2026, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that the so-called director of the Central Museum of Taurida in occupied Crimea had been notified of suspicion under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine in connection with the mass looting of cultural property from the Kherson Regional Art Museum named after Shovkunenko in November 2022. At that time, nearly 11,000 items were removed from the museum, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, icons, and works by prominent Ukrainian and European artists.

Who is the suspect

Malgin Andriy Vitaliyovych (born June 11, 1965) is a native of Simferopol. He serves as the so-called director of the Central Museum of Taurida in Simferopol, a museum under the control of the russian occupation administration.

Circumstances of the crime

Following the full-scale invasion, between February 24 and early March 2022, russian armed forces occupied a significant part of Kherson region, including the city of Kherson. To administer the occupied territory, russia established the so-called “military-civil administration of Kherson region,” along with structures imitating executive authorities. In particular, a “ministry of culture of Kherson region” was created, headed by Oleksandr Kuzmenko, appointed by the occupiers, with Artem Lagoyskyi serving as acting first deputy.

In late October 2022, anticipating the imminent liberation of Kherson and the right bank of the Dnipro River, the military-political leadership of russia decided on a so-called “evacuation,” which in fact amounted to the mass looting of the most valuable cultural property from museums, galleries, and libraries in Kherson region, with their transfer deeper into russian-controlled territory.

No later than October 2022, Malgin received a proposal from an unidentified person to participate in the seizure and removal of cultural property from occupied Kherson, with subsequent storage in the museum under his control in Crimea.

On November 1–2, 2022, he personally arrived at the Kherson Regional Art Museum named after Shovkunenko (34 Soborna Street). Access to the museum collections was granted by the museum’s director, Desyatova, appointed by the occupation authorities.

Over the course of two days, Malgin took part in selecting the most valuable items and organized their packing for further removal. His actions were coordinated with Kuzmenko, Lagoyskyi, and Desyatova.

Between October 31 and November 4, 2022, a total of 10,785 items — property of Ukraine and part of the state-owned Museum Fund of Ukraine — were seized and removed:

• 1,674 paintings
• 8,263 drawings (graphic works)
• 12 sculptures
• 274 items of decorative and applied art
• 373 items from the scientific support collection
• 189 items from the educational and exhibition collection

Among the stolen items are historic icons and works by prominent Ukrainian and European artists, including Ivan Aivazovsky, Oleksiy Shovkunenko, August Bayer, Frans Ferlut, Peter Lely, and Mykhailo Andrienko-Nechytailo.

All removed items qualify as cultural property under the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The seizure was not justified by any military necessity and was carried out against the will of the owner — the state of Ukraine.

Suspicion

The SBU suspects Malgin of violating the laws and customs of war as provided for by international treaties, committed by a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy — that is, an offense under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Criminal proceedings were registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under No. 22022000000000128 dated March 29, 2022.