In Moscow, This Thief Carried Out An Art Heist In Plain Sight

In a museum in Moscow, a painting was stolen right in front of everyone, in the middle of the day, without anybody realizing what was happening. The (very bold) criminal simply approached the painting, took it off the wall, and left—not even bothering to hide it.

One of the country’s most popular artworks

The painting was of Mount Aï-Petri in Crimea, done by Arkhip Kouïdji between 1898 and 1908, and happens to be one of the most well-known works of art in all of Russia. Luckily, authorities quickly recovered it and the 31-year-old suspect was arrested.

The Tretiakov Gallery, the museum the painting was stolen from, explained that ‘at the time of the theft, gallery security, operated by members of the National Guard and employees of the museum’s security service, was functioning normally.’ They have also, however, affirmed that security has since been reinforced.

Check out the video above to see the brazen crime for yourself...