MOSCOW, August 11 (RIA Novosti) - Mikhail Piatrovsky, the director of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, has been reprimanded for improper execution of duties following a large-scale theft of museum exhibits, the Ministry of Culture said Friday.
The Hermitage announced at the end of July that 221 items, including icons, medieval and 19th-century jewelry, silverware and enamels, had been stolen from its Russian section. The theft was uncovered during a routine check.
"The order [to reprimand the director] has been signed by Russian Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi," the ministry's press service said.
The multi-million dollar haul of artwork and the disappearance of a famous architect's drawings from storage in the Hermitage prompted President Vladimir Putin to order inventories of museum collections nationwide Thursday.
Sixteen of the items stolen from one of the world's largest museums have so far been recovered, including a gold-and-silver cross and two icons.
