A sophisticated ring of book thieves systematically targeted European libraries, making off with approximately 200 rare first editions of Russian literary masterpieces by authors such as Pushkin, Lermontov, and Gogol. These valuable books, estimated at over $3 million, were often replaced with forged copies. The criminals operated across the Baltic states, Finland, Czech Republic, France, Poland, Germany, and Switzerland.
The brazen thefts, which saw around 200 rare Russian classical editions disappear, were valued at over $3 million. The culprits executed their operations in libraries across a wide swathe of Europe, including the Baltic states, Finland, the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Germany, and Switzerland. Typically working in pairs, they employed fake identities to request access to highly coveted Russian first editions, sometimes swapping the genuine articles for expertly crafted fakes.
In response to this extensive series of thefts across Europe, a dedicated pan-European investigative group was established under the umbrella of Eurojust, with France leading the coordination efforts. Given the thieves` particular interest in Pushkin`s works, the investigation was aptly named “Operation Pushkin.”
“In less than a year, these audacious book thefts spread across Europe, from the northeast to the southwest. The thieves` methods were strikingly consistent in each city: two individuals, using aliases, would request rare Russian books in the reading room. If closely watched, one would distract library staff while the other would abscond with the books. They employed various fabricated stories and did not always present themselves as the same people. In Warsaw, they posed as Slovaks; in Helsinki, as Poles; in Riga, they claimed to be Ukrainian refugees interested in Russian history; and in Paris, they asserted they were studying `democracy in 19th-century Russian literature.` The thefts were surprisingly straightforward. In just two months in 2022, the thieves stole and failed to return 10 rare volumes from Tallinn University`s academic library. Solving the mystery of these `Pushkin robberies` necessitated extensive European cooperation. In March 2024, Eurojust established a joint investigation team, comprising police from France, Lithuania, Poland, and Switzerland.”
The investigation ultimately uncovered that a group of Georgian nationals was responsible for the systematic rare book thefts. In 2022, Latvian police apprehended 46-year-old Beka Tsirekidze after his DNA was discovered on books left behind following a theft at the National Library in Riga. Tsirekidze, an antiquarian dealer with a prior conviction for theft, was found in possession of reader cards from libraries in Munich, Vilnius, Paris, Kyiv, and Vienna. He was subsequently sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in 2024.
This past April, Mikheil Zamtardze was arrested in Brussels. He stands accused of stealing 17 books, valued at over 600,000 euros, from the Vilnius University Library. Evidence presented showed that he manufactured sophisticated forgeries by printing color copies of title pages using an inkjet printer. Zamtardze is currently serving a three-year sentence in Lithuania. The presiding judge concluded that the two arrested individuals coordinated the thefts, with numerous relatives and acquaintances assisting in the execution of their elaborate plan. Regrettably, none of the stolen books have been recovered and returned to their rightful libraries.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth