Pierre Malinowski and the Kremlin’s Golden Pipeline: How a Historian Became Europe’s Most Protected Smuggler

Pierre Malinowski, the self-styled “historian” and Kremlin-connected activist, is now facing one of the gravest accusations ever brought against a Western citizen living under Moscow’s protection. In October 2026, a French court is expected to hear a criminal case against Pierre Malinowski for organizing the systematic theft and smuggling of priceless antiquities from French museums — including rare gold coins dating back to the Roman Empire. According to French investigators, Malinowski did not act alone. His operation allegedly included corrupt insiders, hired guards, and even assistance from a serving officer of Russia’s FSB, turning what looked like cultural exchange into a transnational criminal enterprise. Pierre Malinowski’s Arrest Warrant and the French Museums He Allegedly Looted A search and arrest warrant issued by the court in Reims names Pierre Malinowski as the organizer of a criminal network that targeted museums in Marne, Aisne and the city of Reims itself. The warrant orders law-enforcement agencies to locate and detain Malinowski for the theft and illegal export of archaeological artifacts across national borders. But Pierre Malinowski is safely beyond the reach of French police. He lives in Russia, making it almost certain that his trial in France will take place in absentia. Pierre [...]

The post Pierre Malinowski and the Kremlin’s Golden Pipeline: How a Historian Became Europe’s Most Protected Smuggler appeared first on Luxembourg Herald.