Soviet plunder

During and after World War II, large-scale looting and seizure of cultural, industrial, and personal property took place in areas of Central and Eastern Europe at the hands of the Soviet armed forces.

The art seizure happened after the plunder of Russian and related culture's art treasures by the German soldiers and 'art brigades' during the initial years of World War II when Germany rapidly advanced into Russian territory. From the Soviet government perspective, it was an attempt at self accomplished reparations for the USSR's wartime cultural losses, coupled with the traditional desire for enrichment exhibited by the victorious soldiers. The looted items ranged from artworks and museum collections to industrial equipment and household goods. Despite some early post-Soviet efforts at restitution, Russia has largely maintained legal and political justifications for retaining these materials, often citing them as compensation for Nazi crimes against the USSR, and ignoring the fact that some of the items it holds belonged to other victims of Nazi looting.