In the frontline settlement of Novomykolaivka in the Zaporizhzhia district, soldiers of the 128th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade “Dyke Pole” carried out an evacuation of ancient steppe stone statues from the territory of the local museum. The site had come under threat after a series of Russian guided air bomb (KAB) strikes. Several nearby buildings were already destroyed, creating a high risk of losing the unique historical artifacts.
The rescue was initiated by serviceman Dmytro Kayuk, a historian by profession, who contacted the Dnipro History Museum to report the danger to the stone statues. The information was confirmed by a museum employee who had previously been his student. Following this, the brigade commander authorized the evacuation and provided the necessary equipment.
Renowned Zaporizhzhia historian Petro Boyko joined the operation to ensure that the transfer of the artifacts complied with cultural heritage handling protocols. Some of the statues had to be excavated manually — one of them was particularly large.
Alongside the stone statues, the military also evacuated valuable paintings and archaeological items from the museum’s collection. All rescued pieces have been transferred to a secure cultural institution, where they will remain until the end of the war.
Historians note that one of the evacuated statues — widely referred to as a “stone baba” — is in fact an ancient Cuman warrior wearing a traditional helmet. The figure’s face is missing, having been deliberately destroyed at some point in the past. The reasons remain unknown, though experts emphasize that steppe monuments have repeatedly suffered acts of vandalism across different historical eras.
26 museum relics added to the national heritage register
