Rare Russian classics worth millions of euros have been stolen from libraries across Eastern Europe, with evidence suggesting that the stolen books are being sold at auctions in Russia. Over the past two years, libraries in Poland and the Baltic states have been targeted, with thieves replacing the originals with fakes.
The University of Warsaw library only discovered the thefts last month, including first editions of works by Alexander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol. The stolen books are estimated to be worth around a million euros. Hieronim Grala, an expert in Russia policy and professor at the University of Warsaw, described it as “gouging out the crown jewels”.
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Similar thefts have occurred in libraries in the Baltic countries, with Russian literature being the primary target. Experts believe that the stolen works have made their way to Russia, with some being sold at auctions in Moscow.
The first known case was detected at the National Library of Latvia, where three books were stolen. A Georgian citizen was convicted of the theft, but his accomplice remains at large. In Estonia, two men claiming to be studying censorship and printing policy requested rare works by Pushkin and Gogol from the university library.
The University of Warsaw suffered the most substantial losses, with 79 books identified as missing. The thieves left behind fake copies, ranging from sloppy imitations to meticulous counterfeits. While the stolen books were being sold in Moscow, the library’s inventory still counted them as part of the collection.
Screenshots of auctions held by Russia’s Litfond auction house showed books with stamps and catalogue numbers from Warsaw University. There is a clear Russian link connecting the thefts, according to experts. Poland’s strained relations with Russia, due to its criticism of the Kremlin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, may have played a role.
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The losses of these rare Russian books are devastating to experts like Grala, who highlighted the efforts made by librarians during wars to protect the books. The stolen books survived two national uprisings and two world wars on Polish soil, making their loss irreversible.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to recover the stolen works and bring the culprits to justice.
