Ukraine's Cultural Heritage falling victim

In the past year, amongst the tension between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine's cultural heritage has been looted and trafficked throughout Europe.

I recently came across a good article highlighting a this issue published by The Centre for Research on Globalization entitled "Ukraine is Plundering its Own Museums On the Way to Europe" dated January 20, 2015 (http://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-is-plundering-its-own-museums-on-the-way-to-europe/5428030#sthash.SqjuCUF2.dpufq).

The article describes the looting of the Museum of the History of Kiev on February 18, 2014, when looters stormed the museum and destroyed objects while stealing others.  Some of the stolen objects include:

• Knife with a blade of Damascus Steel and a Mammoth tusk handle
• An icon of The Virgin and Child
• A copy of the Gospels

The total costs of these items exceeds $200,000.

Is it even possible to avoid the destruction of cultural property during a conflict?  My posts throughout the last few years focus a lot of this issue, and it appears that heritage is among the first victims.  The destruction of heritage affects the morale of the community, and future generations to come, of course this is probably the exact reason why culture falls victim to violence.

What are your thoughts on whether we could prevent this?  This is something we should come to expect, and perhaps safeguard against.

As always, thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Best,
Jennifer (Ms. Indy Jones)