11th-13th-century Polovtsian stone sculpture disappears from beach in Kharkiv
Archaeologist Alina Kharlamova has long studied the rare stone statues that marked the Polovtsian presence on the Eurasian steppe. One such monument, dating from the 11th–13th centuries, had been standing on a popular beach in Zhuravlivka, Kharkiv, serving as an unlikely open‑air exhibit of medieval nomadic culture.
Kharlamova repeatedly urged the beach’s leaseholders to hand the artifact over to a proper institution, specifically the Museum of Archaeology at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Her requests were dismissed, and the statue was treated more as a decorative prop than a protected cultural object.
During a recent visit the sculpture was gone. The municipal body Kharkivzelenbud confirmed that the piece was absent before any landscaping work began, suggesting it may have been removed by the former tenants or other parties with access to the site.
The loss is felt sharply at a time when Ukrainian teams are evacuating priceless monuments from active combat zones. Kharlamova has appealed for anyone with information to come forward, underscoring how local neglect can threaten heritage even far from the front lines.