Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Jun 12

Six Georgians Face Paris Trial Over $3 Million Pushkin Book Thefts Across 10 Countries

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Jun 12

Six Georgians Face Paris Trial Over $3 Million Pushkin Book Thefts Across 10 Countries

Q: Beyond the thieves on trial, who are the powerful collectors funding this multimillion-dollar book heist?

They have not been publicly identified. Based on the trial reporting and the additional material, investigators have not named any “powerful collectors” financing the thefts, and no court filing cited here discloses the ultimate buyers behind the network. What is known is narrower. French investigators say the Georgian defendants were part of a larger organized ring that stole rare Russian editions from major European libraries, replaced originals with convincing fakes, and moved the books onward for sale. One convicted participant, Mikheil Z., told investigators he sold stolen books in Russia to a man identified only as “Maxim.” A stolen Pushkin volume from the Bibliothèque nationale de France later surfaced in the catalogue of the Russian auction house Litfond, which said it had paperwork showing the book came from an owner in Russia years earlier. That points to a likely market in Russia or among Russian-speaking collectors, but not to named patrons. Investigators have also floated a possible motive beyond profit: the “repatriation” of Russian cultural heritage. Even so, that remains an investigative theory, not proof of who financed purchases. So the strongest answer is that the money trail appears to lead toward private buyers in Russia, possibly collectors interested in rare Russian literary heritage, but the identities of any wealthy backers remain undisclosed and unproven in the public record.

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 12

More than 170 rare Russian books—many by Alexander Pushkin and worth nearly $3 million—are at the center of a Paris trial of six Georgian defendants accused of theft and conspiracy.
Investigators say the group was part of a wider network that spent about two years traveling Europe by bus, using fake identities and falsified library cards to swap originals for fakes after photographing them.
French authorities say the thefts hit major libraries in 10 countries, including the National Library of France, exposing a coordinated raid on works of cultural and historical value.
The Paris case follows a 2024 European sting that detained several Georgians linked to the heists and led to about six additional arrests, suggesting the courtroom fight is only one chapter of a broader cross-border investigation.

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The New York Times4h ago

Paris Trial: Six Georgians Accused of Stealing $3M Rare Russian Books, Including Pushkin's, from European Libraries

Beyond the thieves on trial, who are the powerful collectors funding this multimillion-dollar book heist?

As thieves use perfect forgeries, can new technology prevent the next great library heist from succeeding?

Is this a criminal plot for profit, or a secret mission to reclaim Russia's cultural heritage?

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1 total

The New York Times4h ago

Paris Trial: Six Georgians Accused of Stealing $3M Rare Russian Books, Including Pushkin's, from European Libraries

Six Georgians Face Paris Trial Over $3 Million Pushkin Book Thefts Across 10 Countries

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