Ukraine has published a new list of archaeologists and institutions excavating in Crimea which are submitted to sanctions: УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №68/2025 Про рішення Ради національної безпеки і оборони України від 4 лютого 2025 року "Про застосування персональних спеціальних економічних та інших обмежувальних заходів (санкцій)" [DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE No. 68/2025 On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated February 4, 2025 "On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)"].
Appendix 2 sets out the Legal Entities on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation to which which personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) are applied: The Russian version of the "State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Preserve" Tauric Chersonese" in Sevastopol; the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Crimea "Eastern Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve", 7 Sverdlova Street, Kerch and the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Crimea "Central Museum of Tavrida", Simferopol, 14 Gogolya Street. Among them are museums that currently contain artefacts (and perhaps documentation?) from other Ukrainian museums that were overrun by troops of the Russian Federation - which can be called "stolen" or "evacuated" depending on who you are and your viewpoint. There is also disquieting information that, like other institutions in the Russian-occupied zone, they are (might be) deaccessioning material that they regard as superfluous to the current needs of a "Russian cultural institution" (I use the term loosely).
Appendix 1 details individuals to whom personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) are applied. There are 55 of them, I have met at least one of these people, know of another five, I think, from the literature, but it is unclear to me who the others are (whether archaeologists or staff of the listed institutions). As is the nature of the document, academic titles and host institutions are not given. Also it is unclear if they all work in Crimea - for example excavating sites or working with portable antiquities under the Russian occupation (forbidden by international conventions - such as Hague and UNESCO 1970) Seven are from the older generation, born between 1940 and 1955. Most of the people listed were born in the 1970s and 1980s. Interestingly, the citizenship (so birthplace) of 16 of them is given as Ukrainian (plus Russian Federation) suggesting that they at least were working in Ukraine before the 2014 invasion and decided to stay. While on the one hand there is a clear ethical choice (dictated by the above-mentioned conventions), in the case of arkies, there is another ethical/moral duty - to "the archaeology" (archaeological record) and here in some cases there may be conflicting influences.
Some Ukrainian archaeologists have left the occupied areas, some taking their unfinished research with them, and are employed in other institutions in Ukraine and abroad. I know of a number of cases where positions have been created here and elsewhere for such scholars. However, the funding for academic archaeology is rather scarce in Europe at the moment, so many Ukrainian archaeologists leaving their home towns due to the external conditions have little hope of continuing their work until this War is over and won. Слава Україні.
Some Ukrainian archaeologists have left the occupied areas, some taking their unfinished research with them, and are employed in other institutions in Ukraine and abroad. I know of a number of cases where positions have been created here and elsewhere for such scholars. However, the funding for academic archaeology is rather scarce in Europe at the moment, so many Ukrainian archaeologists leaving their home towns due to the external conditions have little hope of continuing their work until this War is over and won. Слава Україні.
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