$ 46 million worth of works of art were seized by Finnish customs on their return to Russia, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. Customs said it had seized three consignments of Russian paintings and sculptures over the weekend in Baalimaa, a southeastern border crossing, due to European Union sanctions. The work of art returned to Russia via Finland after participating in international exhibitions in Italy and Japan. “It is important that sanctions are enforced effectively,” said Sami Rakshit, director of the Finnish customs enforcement department. “Sanctions are part of our normal business and we always direct our controls based on risk. The missions that have now been the subject of criminal investigation have been identified as part of our routine enforcement work.” The seizures were justified on the condition that the artwork be classified as “luxury goods”, which are included in EU sanctions against Russia. According to Finnish customs, the Finnish Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the EU sanctions list contains a paragraph on works of art. Russian Senator Sergei Chekov, a member of the Federal Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told Russian state media RIA Novosti on Wednesday that the “extrajudicial seizure” of the work of art by Finland was tantamount to “theft”. “It seems that the whole of Europe, not just the EU and NATO, has gone crazy,” Chekov said. “Now works of art belonging to Russia are not allowed to return to their homeland, to Russian museums.” RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Ministry of Culture, said the artwork was part of two exhibitions in Italy – one at a gallery in Milan’s La Scala and one at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Udine. It was borrowed from the Tretyakov State Gallery and the State Museum of Oriental Art of Russia. Other works from the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow were returning from Japan, where they are on display at the Chiba Museum in Tokyo. The Finnish customs said in a statement that “the works of art are stored with an overall assessment of their value, characteristics and safety” and that an investigation is underway. European leaders are imposing a series of sanctions on Russia, with measures stepping up in recent days following the atrocities in Bukha, near Kyiv. While the sanctions are largely designed to target Russia’s economy, the country’s cultural influence is also limited. Ever since Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24, the art world has canceled performances and put pressure on Russian art institutions.
