Russia to try man over theft of Hermitage artworks

MOSCOW, Dec 29 (Reuters) A Russian is to stand trial on charges he stole art objects from the Hermitage with his late wife, a curator at the world-famous museum.

In August, Nikolai Zavadsky's lawyer quoted him as saying he had stolen the artefacts because he needed money to buy insulin for his diabetic wife.

She died suddenly at the start of an inventory that revealed 5 million dollars worth of art items in her charge were missing from the museum in Russia's second city of St Petersburg.

Zavadsky is accused over the theft of 77 objects from the museum's department of Russian cultural history, a statement on the Russian Prosecutor-General's Web site said yesterday.

It gave no date for the start of the trial.

The artefacts, stolen over several years, are some of more than 200 silver and enamel pieces missing from the Hermitage, home to a huge collection including works by Leonardo da Vinci and Claude Monet.

The thefts exposed years of under-funding and neglect at Russia's museums, where staff are paid paltry wages and there is no cash for adequate security.

Reuters SBA VP0415