In the Mykolaiv region, authorities have completed a pre-trial investigation into a 24-year-old employee of a farm in the Pervomaiskyi district, who is accused of destroying a cultural heritage monument. The regional police reported this on April 15, 2026: the indictment has already been sent to court.
The story began back in August 2025, when the No. 3 police station of the Pervomaiskyi district received a report from a representative of the Institute of Archaeology that a kurgan on the outskirts of one of the settlements of the Kryvoozerska community had been destroyed; the mound was listed on the state register as an archaeological monument of local significance. It was after this that law enforcement opened a case and began to determine who and why had leveled the mound.
During the investigation it was established that the agronomist, preparing the land plot for sowing, decided to increase the area of arable land and simplify subsequent field cultivation. Despite knowing about the kurgan’s archaeological value, the man instructed a farm employee to level the mound using specialized construction equipment, convincing the driver that all necessary permits for such work were in place. As a result, the kurgan was completely flattened and ploughed across its entire area.
Police seized equipment, vehicles and other physical evidence from the scene. These were then sent for expert examination. The worst was confirmed by the forensic historical-archaeological examination: the archaeological monument has been completely destroyed. The kurgan has lost its historical, scientific and cultural value, and with it the possibility of further study of the burial rites of the ancient steppe population.
In March 2026 investigators notified the suspect of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — “Intentional unlawful destruction, demolition or damage of cultural heritage objects or their parts.” The case has now been forwarded to court, and the defendant faces up to 3 years imprisonment with possible disqualification from holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for the same term or without such disqualification.
In this story it is not only the destruction itself that is telling, but also the motive: for the sake of a few extra metres of field they destroyed an object that had survived for centuries and was supposed to remain a source of knowledge about the region’s past. For the Mykolaiv region, where cultural heritage already suffers from war, neglect and indifference, such a loss appears not merely as a criminal episode but as another blow to the region’s historical memory.
Previously we wrote:
- Not only sea and beaches: the best photo of Mykolaiv region was an ancient island from above
- Ancient Mykolaiv in 3D: documenting destructions in the war zone
- Consequences of the attack on Mykolaiv: three cultural heritage sites damaged
- An 18th-century cemetery may be removed in the Mykolaiv region
- Mykolaiv is among the leaders in the number of cultural sites destroyed by Russia
