The Napoleonic plan: what damage did the looters do to the Louvre

The robbers may sell off the relics stolen from the Louvre on October 19, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. We are talking, first of all, about rare and expensive precious stones, which are decorated with stolen items. The raiders entered one of the world's main museums disguised as workers repairing the building, and in a few minutes took out items from the Bonaparte jewelry collection. Their nominal value, according to the most conservative estimates, may amount to tens of millions of dollars. But, in fact, we are talking about priceless historical artifacts. Experts have already called the incident "a slap in the face to all the French." About how the "robbery of the century" happened and why the raiders stole items that could not be sold on the official market — in the Izvestia material.

How the Louvre was robbed

Even cinematographers would envy such an audacious robbery scenario in its simplicity and audacity: kidnappers enter one of the main and seemingly most guarded museums in the world in broad daylight, just by climbing a ladder on a car tower, and after a few minutes take out a collection of priceless objects. But this is not fiction, but a real robbery that shocked France. On the morning of October 19, a criminal group of several people entered the Louvre in this way. The raiders cut out the window glass with a grinder, broke into the windows of the Apollo Gallery and stole nine items from the French crown jewelry collection. According to various sources, it took only four to seven minutes.

According to the newspaper Le Parisien, two of the attackers simply posed as workers, wearing yellow vests. They abandoned one of them during their escape from the crime scene. Later, footage appeared from inside — the thieves pulled off the robbery in front of witnesses who, apparently, did not even suspect anything. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez did not rule out that the perpetrators were foreigners.

— The theft committed at the Louvre Museum is obviously the work of professionals who knew the place perfectly well and chose the right moment. Why? Because everything happened in the part of the museum where repairs were being carried out, and the outdoor video surveillance system in this sector was not activated," French lawyer Alain Duflo explained to Izvestia.

What could be the fate of the stolen in the Louvre

The raiders did not touch the famous Regent, the largest diamond in Napoleon's collection, weighing more than 140 carats. But, according to the same Le Parisien, in their hands were a set of jewelry, a service, a necklace, earrings, two crowns and a brooch. It is reported that two of the nine items they stole were soon found. This is, in particular, about the crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, decorated with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds. Created by jeweler Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier, the headdress was supposed to impress visitors to the World's Fair in Paris in 1855 with its radiance. A rare imperial crown was found damaged outside the museum after a raid on the Louvre. The damage caused by the loss of the remaining relics of the French monarchy cannot be estimated, experts say.

— I've seen a number of photos, and if we talk about these things roughly, like about some kind of jewelry, it's tens of millions of dollars. I repeat, this is a very rough and, I think, underestimated assessment. In fact, these things are priceless, and the damage is enormous. On the one hand, these are unique pieces of jewelry from the first half of the 19th century, the work of outstanding craftsmen, since the Bonaparte family collaborated only with the best jewelers of their time, and these are not just jewelry, but, indeed, masterpieces of art. On the other hand, these are objects that have historical value as things that came into contact with the imperial family of France," art historian and collector Sergei Podstanitsky told Izvestia.

According to him, criminals may be interested not so much in the stolen items themselves as in the unique, rare purity stones with which they are decorated.

— I suspect that the products may simply be destroyed for the sake of these rare and expensive stones, which are easier to sell, — the expert expressed his concerns. — There are a number of countries in the East and Africa where there are also wealthy people, but European and world jurisprudence as such does not operate there, so they may well simply be ceded to some dictators.

Another possible development, given that it is unrealistic to sell stolen items of such high value in their original form, is a refund in exchange for a ransom.

— There is a common option over the past 70 years, when theft is committed not for the sake of selling things, but for the sake of its insurance. The criminals contact the museum or the insurance company and offer to pay them part of the compensation. This may be more profitable for insurance companies than paying the full amount of compensation for the destruction of the item," Podstanitsky said.

"A slap in the face to all the French"

To date, the last recorded robbery at the Louvre was the theft of Camille Corot's painting "The Road to Sevres" in 1998. The painting has still not been found. Today's theft, first of all, seriously raises the question of security in museums in general and in the main museum of France in particular, Karin Bechet-Golovko, Doctor of Public Law, President of the Komitas Gentium France-Russia Association, visiting professor at Moscow State University, said in a conversation with Izvestia.

— This really damages the reputation of both the Louvre and the French authorities. How can you trust them when transferring collections to temporary exhibitions? — She said.

According to her, the case is also symbolic, as the stolen items refer to the Napoleonic era, a symbol of France's once—lost might. These are historically valuable artifacts for the French as a nation, so their abduction is an extraordinary event for the people, said Sergey Fedorov, a leading researcher at the Department of Social and Political Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"This is a slap in the face not only to the authorities, but to all the French," he believes.

However, he added that the theft case should not be politicized. If someone wanted to annoy the current French authorities, who already have low ratings, they would have chosen another way, the expert concluded.

The theft at the Louvre is a real drama for the French, because we are talking about a part of the national heritage in one of the largest museums in the world, the pearl of the French museum system, French political scientist Nicholas Mirkovich told Izvestia.

— The French feel deep sadness, because this common heritage is "our everything." And at the same time — the strongest indignation. How is it that the Louvre is so poorly protected? Today, an improperly parked car in Paris is instantly captured by cameras and immediately fined, and there were no cameras or sufficient security measures around the Louvre to protect priceless objects of national heritage," Mirkovich said.

According to him, a strike was recently held at the Louvre by workers who claimed there was a lack of resources to ensure security. He also added that French institutions were once again unable to protect citizens' property.

Thefts in France have become a real epidemic and occur daily, the political scientist believes. According to data for 2024, about 600 apartment thefts, 1,343 thefts and 1,128 cases of fraud were recorded daily in France.

— It seems that there are simply no police and justice capable of protecting people. As for cultural property, about three thefts are recorded per day, which is a lot. The security problem is real: the police clearly don't have enough resources. And this is only based on the reported incidents — we know that many cases are not being reported because people have less confidence in the judicial system," Mirkovich said.

Systemic deficiencies are observed in the training, equipment, financing and number of police. The expert stressed that France is a "tasty target" for hunters of cultural treasures: the country is rich and has a rich past, there are a lot of works of art here. And, unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult for owners and institutions to protect them. Criminal groups are becoming more and more organized, he concluded.

On October 19, the museum was closed. The exact damage from the raid has yet to be assessed. The local prosecutor's office is investigating. And while they are looking for criminals, and filmmakers are probably fighting for the opportunity to be the first to film an unprecedented story, for local authorities, what happened is a reason to reflect on the mistakes that made the "robbery of the century," as it was dubbed in the media, in France's most guarded museum.