'Lost Diamonds': Rare Russian Books Stolen From European Libraries

Warsaw, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) A spate of thefts of rare Russian classics worth millions of Euros from libraries across Eastern Europe has left a trail that points all the way to auctions in Russia.

Shelves of 19th century Russian literature have been ransacked over the past two years in Poland and the Baltic states, with originals replaced by fakes.

The University of Warsaw library only found out last month about the thefts, including first editions of works by Alexander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol.

A university employee with knowledge of the matter estimated the value of the stolen books at "around a million euros".

"It was like gouging out the crown jewels," Hieronim Grala, a former diplomat, an expert in Russia policy and professor at the University of Warsaw told AFP.

"Fortunately, not everything was picked out, but a few emeralds, diamonds and rubies are lost," said Grala, who has helped the university assess the damages.

The theft in Warsaw was not an isolated event.

Libraries in the three Baltic countries have also fallen prey to thieves, and in each case Russian literature was targeted.

Experts believe the stolen works have found their way to Russia, with at least some sold off at hasty auctions in Moscow.