ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIAN FEDERATION.- An emergency meeting is being held in St. Petersburg by Russia’s Museum Union to deal with the security and preservation of the most valuable art collections all over Russia.

Mikhail Shvydkoi, head of Russia’s Agency for Culture and Cinematography, called on Monday to create a full electronic catalogue of Russia’s museum resources. He stated, “The review will help to dispel a recent vicious myth about all museum directors and curators being thieves. The audit has to be carried out at high speed and completed within the next 15-30 years.”

Boris Boyarskov, head of the Federal Service for Media Law Compliance and Cultural Heritage stated, "On the whole, there is no government policy in the museum sector, and each of us is contributing to the formation of such a policy."