11Th13th-Century Polovtsian Stone Sculpture Disappears From Beach In Kharkiv

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Alina Kharlamova, an archaeologist and researcher from Kharkiv, drew attention to this and spoke to Ukrinform about it.

“There used to be a stone Polovtsian sculpture on the beach. I study these sculptures and can confirm that it is authentic and dates back to the 11th–13th centuries. When I recently visited the beach, I saw that the statue was gone,” says Kharlamova.

According to her, it is not known exactly when the sculpture first appeared at the resort, but even before the full-scale Russian invasion, the archaeologist had approached the beach's leaseholders-representatives of“Aquazhur”-with a request to transfer the artifact to the appropriate institutions.

“They simply ignored me. When I told the representative of what was then a paid beach that this sculpture should be handed over to a museum, she made a face as if I were joking. Perhaps people really didn't view the statue as something valuable, but considered it a prop,” Kharlamova speculates.

The sculpture may have been brought from the Azov region, the researcher believes.

Currently, the municipal enterprise“Kharkivzelenbud” is responsible for the beach in question. The enterprise's press office told the agency's correspondent that the sculpture was not present when the territory was taken over, adding that before the municipal workers began landscaping the area, the former tenants had the opportunity to remove their property.

“It is very unfortunate that while our defenders are evacuating such monuments from areas under fire, they are disappearing right here in our city. I urge anyone who may have taken the sculpture or knows where it is to contact me personally or the Museum of Archaeology at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University at 067-397-97-59,” Kharlamova said.

The beach in Zhuravlivka has been leased since January 17, 2008. The term of the agreement, signed between the Kharkiv City Council and“Kontakt Plus” LLC, was 49 years-until April 1, 2056. In 2018, the city council attempted to terminate this agreement through the courts, but its request was denied.

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In May 2026, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in an interview with Ukrinfor that Zhuravlivka Island had been returned to the ownership of the local community.

“I fought very hard, and I can say that we won this battle-and it really was a battle, as you can imagine! After all, land like this is very attractive. Not only that, but they (the tenants-ed.) weren't paying under this contract, yet they were charging people money (for admission and access-ed.). I can tell you what a struggle I went through and how many enemies I made,” the mayor said at the time.

According to the NGO“Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center,”“Contact Plus” LLC is linked to the business structures of former People's Deputy Dmytro Shentse of the now-banned“Party of Regions” and former Kharkiv Regional Council deputy Davyd Chikhladze (who served twice for the“Party of Regions” and once for“Vidrodzhennia”).

As previously reported, in February, soldiers from the Sicheslav Brigade, together with museum staff, volunteers, and philanthropists, evacuated 11th–13th-century Polovtsian stone statues-unique stone monuments from the Steppe era -from Vasylkivka in the Synelnykivsky District of Dnipropetrovsk region.

Photos courtesy of Alina Kharlamova

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