Russia: Three former FSB officers sentenced for stealing Gutenberg Bible
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 5 June 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia: Three former FSB officers sentenced for stealing Gutenberg Bible, 5 June 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/53b280a431.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 05, 2014
Three former officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) have been sentenced to prison terms of between 14 months and 3 1/2 years for stealing one of the few remaining copies of the famed Gutenberg Bible.
On June 5, the Moscow Regional Military Court found Sergei Vedishchev, Mikhail Lepkov, and Viktor Puchka guilty of stealing a complete two-volume copy from Moscow State University in 2009 and trying to sell it for 40 million rubles ($1,140,000).
The book was later recovered.
The Gutenberg Bible dates to the 1450s and is the first major book printed in the West using movable type.
Of 180 original copies, only 21 complete copies survive in eight different countries.
Two copies of the Gutenberg Bible – one of them incomplete – were brought by Soviet troops from Leipzig, Germany, after World War II.
Based on reporting by Interfax and rosbalt.ru
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
