Hermitage’s stolen items not insured

More than 220 pieces of jewelry, enameled objects and other items worth about $5 million that were stolen from Russia’s famed State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg were not insured, officials said Tuesday.

The theft is believed to have been an inside job that probably took place over several years, museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky told reporters a day after reporting the thefts. “It is clear that without the involvement of museum staff, this could not have happened,” he said.

The theft, which highlights the poor security at Russian cultural institutions, was discovered after a routine inventory check that began in October 2005 and was completed at the end of July.

The 221 missing items included a selection of medieval and 19th century Russian jewelry, silverware and enameled objects. Piotrovsky said the items were not insured because they were in storage; only exhibited artworks at the Hermitage are insured.