Ukrainian Archaeological Sites Damaged by Russian Military, Experts Say

Satellite imagery of Russian unit movements successful eastbound Ukraine bespeak that respective Ukrainian archaeological sites person been damaged by the Russian offensive, according to a squad of researchers retired of the University of Virginia.

The archaeological sites are burial mounds called kurgans, which tin beryllium up to 65 feet (19.81 meters) gangly and which incorporate quality remains and artifacts dating backmost to astir 3000 BCE.

The team’s report—published earlier this period by the Ukraine Conflict Observatory—suggests that Russian equipped forces whitethorn beryllium utilizing the kurgans arsenic advantageous places for fighting. The study describes geospatial information analyzed since February 2022.

“With this report, we’re capable to connection penetration into what’s happening successful occupied Ukraine successful areas that Russia has invaded and inactive controls,” said Fiona Greenland, a researcher connected UVA’s Cultural Resilience Informatics and Analysis Lab team, successful a assemblage release. “Our investigation reveals harm to these sites from subject action, but besides imaginable theft oregon vandalism, which indispensable not beryllium ignored.”

The squad recovered grounds of harm to archaeological sites successful 2 locations successful Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast. As reported by the team, “the harm includes the operation of subject infrastructure astatine the archaeological sites and the instauration of a large, lewd geoglyph successful the signifier of a phallus successful an adjacent field.”

A kurgan. Photo: University of Virginia

Satellite imagery and different unfastened root tools supply a model into the authorities of Ukraine’s archaeological sites successful an progressive warzone, wherever a emblematic “boots connected the ground” attack is evidently not possible.

“We’re capable to supply a look astatine an occupied area, Zaporizhzhia, through satellite imagery,” Greenland said. “We were capable to cautiously reconstruct a timeline opening from earlier the full-scale penetration done to the accomplishment of Russian subject units successful the country and the corresponding impacts they proceed to inflict connected these past burial mounds.”

The oblast is nether power of Russia’s 429th Motor Rifle Regiment, according to the Virginia release, and the study concludes that the troops whitethorn person violated the Hague Convention, which has definite requirements for respect for taste artifacts during periods of conflict.

According to Kate Harrell, an archaeologist astatine CURIA Lab, said that determination whitethorn beryllium different sites similar the precocious reviewed kurgans that whitethorn beryllium damaged by Russian activities.

“There are thousands of burial mounds and, successful this report, we lone examined 2 sites successful Zaporizhzhia oblast,” Harrell said. “Further documentation needs to instrumentality place.”

The beforehand lines are a unsafe spot for civilians and infrastructure, of course, but they besides exposure the irreverence with which subject units dainty sites of past taste importance.