The Audio Long Read The Pushkin job: unmasking the thieves behind an international rare books heist
Nov 17, 2025
A daring international heist saw 170 rare Russian classics vanish from libraries across Europe. Researchers posing as academics swapped stolen books for facsimiles in a calculated operation. Arrests revealed a web of thieves using fake identities and potentially connected to larger criminal networks. The investigation unveiled geopolitical implications tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. With ongoing trials and theories of competing gangs, the saga of missing Pushkin titles continues to unfold, raising questions about cultural legacy and criminal intent.
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The Smoking Break Theft
- Two people using fake library cards ordered rare Pushkin and Gogol books and walked out after leaving for a cigarette break.
- They had replaced stolen volumes with facsimiles and exploited older books without magnetic strips.
Libraries As Unseen Targets
- The Warsaw theft was one stop in a coordinated series hitting major European libraries.
- Investigators realised libraries are unexpectedly vulnerable to organised, cross-border thefts.
Timing Fuels Geopolitical Theories
- The thefts began soon after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, raising geopolitical suspicions.
- Authorities debated whether the crimes were opportunistic or state-facilitated cultural repatriation.
