The ‘Grandfather’ mound in Mariupol/Photo: Office of the Prosecutor General/Telegram
On August 20, the Mariupol City Council reported that Russian occupation forces had established a base on the territory of the Stone Graves Reserve in Donetsk Region. In light of this, Anna Murlykina, the editor-in-chief of the Mariupol website 0629.com.ua, stated that one of the mounds of the monument, called «Grandfather,» had been destroyed, with photographic evidence to support this claim.
She made this statement on Hromadske Radio.
“The occupiers have definitely excavated the ‘Grandfather’ mound. I don’t know what they found or if they dug up any valuables buried there… However, the fact that the mound is gone is a proven fact. We have seen photos that confirm this», — the journalist said.
According to her, the Nadazovia region is «one large reserve area.»
“In addition to the Stone Graves, there is another one – Meotida. They are, so to speak, connected and stretch along the entire coast of the Azov Sea. The condition of the Meotida Reserve is the same, as I understand it, as that of the Grandfather mound, because this particular area has now been turned into a military base of the Russian Federation», — she added.
Murlykina mentioned that the Russian army has brought military equipment to the territory of the Stone Graves Reserve. There they set up their base:
“I don’t know what plans the Ukrainian Armed Forces have to destroy these military bases, but the number of attacks in the occupied territories of Nadazovia has increased. We view this with great hope for the de-occupation of the territories. However, we cannot ignore the potential consequences for the historical heritage, as archaeological sites may be damaged during the destruction of military equipment.”
She also noted that there have been instances of «Stone Graves» being exported to Russia.
“This, of course, is happening at the state level, because what ordinary Russians steal in the occupied territories are items they can easily identify as valuable. We’ve seen examples of Russians breaking ceramics from the Museum of Folk Life because they didn’t realize their value. Meanwhile, objects like stone statues are being exported at the state level. As far as I know, one such statue was definitely taken to St. Petersburg,” the journalist emphasized.
Anna Murlykina concluded:
“I want to believe that the Russians will be held accountable for the destruction of Ukraine’s cultural and historical heritage, and we will continue to inform the public about it.”
The Stone Graves Reserve was established on April 5, 1927. It is a protected area covering about 400 hectares and is part of the Ukrainian Steppe Nature Reserve.
The «Grandfather» mound had a height of six metres and a diameter of seventy. It dates back to the 5th millennium BC, which means it is much older than the city. Archaeologists have found three Bronze Age burials on its territory. Historians attribute the mound to the so-called pit culture