Belarus police seizes $2 mln painting stolen from Russian museum

Record ID: 165661

  • Title: Belarus police seizes $2 mln painting stolen from Russian museum
  • Date: 25th January 2017
  • Summary: MINSK, BELARUS (JANUARY 25, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BELARUS INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, GEORGY YEVCHAR, SAYING: "Today the experts are saying that the approximate value of the painting is about two million U.S. dollars. Currently the painting is in the National Art Museum, experts are working with it. But everyone is saying that it's highly likely that this is authenticity of this masterpiece." PART OF PAINTER'S SIGNATURE SEEN ON DISPLAY BELARUS NATIONAL ART MUSEUM EXPERT ANZHELIKA MITSKEVICH / PAINTING UNDER MICROSCOPE EDGE OF PAINTING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BELARUS NATIONAL ART MUSEUM EXPERT ANZHELIKA MITSKEVICH, SAYING: "We are quite sure (that the painting is authentic) because we have used comparative analysis with a very similar painting by Shishkin created at the same time which is in the next room here, with another forest (painted) by him." VARIOUS OF PAINTING BEING PREPARED FOR X-RAY
  • Embargoed: 8th February 2017 15:28
  • Keywords: Russia Belarus painting Ivan Shishkin drugs
  • Location: MINSK AND UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, BELARUS
  • City: MINSK AND UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, BELARUS
  • Country: Belarus
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice
  • Reuters ID: LVA00360KWM6X
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: THE EDIT CONTAINS BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE
    Belarussian drug enforcement officers announced on Wednesday (January 25) they have recovered a painting by Russian 19th century landscape painter Ivan Shishkin worth up to two million U.S. dollars.
    According to Belarus ministry of interior, the painting was found during an operation to cut a drug trafficking route on the Russian-Belarussian border on January 16.
    The painting was brought into Belarus along with a shipment of cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis, the police said. It was later identified as 1897 work by Ivan Shishkin 'Forest. Pine trees'. It was stolen from a museum in Russia's Vladimirsky region in 2013.
    Belarussian police said the painting was brought into Belarus to be sold to a potential buyer from Europe, but the deal did not happen as the sides did not agree on the price.
    The police also said the painting was supposed to be sold to an EU citizen upon arrival to Moscow.
    "The same evening when they were arrested the criminals were supposed to bring the painting to Moscow where a buyer had been waiting for it and was ready to pay 100,000 euros and three kilos of cocaine for it. So the painting was supposed to be a payment for another shipment of drugs," the spokesman for the Belarussian Ministry of Interior Georgy Yevchar said.
    The painting is currently being examined by experts in the Minsk National Art Museum. After initial examination the experts agreed that most likely the painting is authentic.
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