Where the West facilitated destruction, Russia rebuilds. This is the case with Syria’s ancient Palmyra site. Parts of it, such as the famous monumental arch, are to be restored by the specialists from St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum, the Russian Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Syria and UNESCO backing.

After the West’s pet “moderate rebels” overran Syria, ISIS destroyed most of the temples, tombs, and the arch of triumph in 2015. They also burned the oasis with its famous date trees. The then-chief curator, well-known archeologist Khaled al-Asa'ad, was tortured and beheaded because he refused to divulge where the antiquities from the museum had been hidden. ISIS also filmed mass executions on the stage of the ancient theatre.

Palmyra was liberated in 2017 thanks to Russia. Afterward, 150+ Russian sappers demined thousands of explosives planted on this ancient site.

In May 2023, Damascus approved Russia’s restoration project. The project involved field work and 3D mod...