Ukrainian Security Service issues international arrest warrant for Russian archaeologist over illegal excavations in Crimea
On October 12, 2024, Ukraine’s Security Service officially announced an international search for renowned Russian archaeologist Vladimir Tolstikov, suspected of engaging in illegal archaeological activities on the Crimea peninsula.
He is accused of conducting unauthorized excavations in the occupied territory, violating Ukrainian law under Article 298, Part 4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The charges could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years.
Tolstikov has been heading the Bosporus archaeological expedition at the Kerch Museum since 1977 and is also in possession of artifacts from the Panticaea excavations — an ancient Greek city established in the late 7th century BC in what is now Kerch.
Reports indicate that since 2014, he has been regularly receiving permits from the Russian Ministry of Culture for clandestine archaeological work in Crimea, a fact confirmed by Ukrainian security sources and international organizations.
In February 2025, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) imposed sanctions against Tolstikov, restricting his ability to cross Ukrainian borders and limiting his activities within Ukrainian territory.
Experts emphasize that Tolstikov’s archaeological activities significantly contribute to Russia’s scheme to seize Ukrainian cultural heritage through large-scale excavation efforts in Crimea, a practice described as a critical tool in cultural warfare aimed at erasing Ukrainian historical identity and building a myth of unity between the two nations’ roots.