The State Hermitage Informs:
on Stealing of the Small Guard Eagle from the fence of the Alexander Column

On 27 April 2009 the State Hermitage took over the responsibility for safeguard of the Alexander Column, standard lamps and the fence, located in Palace Square. The transfer of the city sculpture from the State Museum to the Hermitage was confirmed with Preservation Order for the Object of Cultural Heritage, issued to the State Hermitage by the Committee on State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Landmarks and the Order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

For already a year surveillance cameras of the Security Service of the State Hermitage have been monitoring the operational situation around the column. The most vulnerable part of new responsibility of the Hermitage is the fence around the column, reconstructed in 2003 under the project of Auguste de Montferrand. The length of the grille around the perimeter composes 63.9 meters. By the time of the fence transfer to the Hermitage 2 large three-edged eagles, 80 small guard eagles had been lost; the remaining did not have a number of details. 46 spears finials were also lost.

At present mass vandalism against the fence has been successfully prevented. The Security Service of the State Hermitage conducts day and night surveillance over the object. Nevertheless, attacks on eagles continue. On 4 April, 2010 the citizen of the RF, being in Palace Square at night, committed stealing of a small guard eagle from the grille. Thanks to coherent operational actions of the Security officers and battalion of the Hermitage militia and 79 militia department of St Petersburg Central District the offender was caught. A criminal case against him under Article 30, part 3,158 p. 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was initiated. As the fence of the column is the copy of 2003 and it is on the economic balance of the museum it is not only of historic value but of material one. In the process of interrogation under the criminal case it was found out that by his actions the thief caused material damage to the Hermitage for which he will answer in law.