The Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsky has suggested protecting cultural monuments in warzones ‘by military force’. “It’s the same as protecting human rights,” he stated at the anniversary conference of the DOC Research institute, dedicated to protecting objects of cultural value.
As an example of a monument that could have been protected by such a defense, he named Palmyra in Syria. In the Hermitage director’s opinion, “cultural monuments should be spread throughout the world.” “Thank God the monuments of Babylon are now kept in Berlin,” he said.
Mikhail Piotrovsky also added that terrorists deliberately destroy cultural monuments. “It serves as an advert for them,” stated the Hermitage director.
