Corruption

How Greed and Incompetence Put Russia's Heritage at Risk

The Novodevichy convent is a rare glimpse of tranquility in Russia's bustling capital. Perched on the banks of the Bolshoi Novodevichny Lake, the convent's golden domes and soaring bell towers have given refuge to Moscow's needy since the 16th century. When cultural and scientific agency UNESCO designated it a world heritage site in 2004, no one doubted its place among Russia's cultural gems. After surviving both the purges of Napoleon and Stalin, the convent's future finally appeared secure.

The fire came suddenly, on a dark March night in 2015. Gathering crowds of onlookers jostled with firefighter crews as the blaze lit up a gloomy sky. Flames had originated in one of the convent towers under restoration, quickly spreading along the rows of scaffolding that surrounded the historical monument. The fire was blamed on the inexperienced restoration company, which was consequently fined 1 million rubles for damages.

But despite being extinguished within hours, and although no serious damage had been done to the tower itself, the incident has had serious repercussions. On March 15, 2016, exactly one year after the Novodevichy fire, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) raided the Culture Ministry at their offices in Kitai-Gorod. Deputy Culture Minister Grigory Pirumov was arrested, along with other officials and the chief of the Baltstroi construction company. The charge: embezzlement, in a scheme involving a number of priceless heritage sites — including the Ivanovsky convent, the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, and the Izborskaya fortress in Pskov.