Moscow City Court returned 272 confiscated paintings to the Roerich Center

The Moscow City Court has overturned an earlier seizure and ordered the return of 272 confiscated paintings by Nicholas Roerich and his sons to the Roerich Center, but Russian prosecutors are again seeking to transfer these works into state ownership. The case pits the Roerich Center against the prosecutor’s office and state cultural interests over legal control of a large and symbolically significant collection. The outcome will shape precedent for ownership and state claims over major private cultural assets in Russia.