Paintings, antiques and jewelry worth about $50 million has been stolen from the Moscow Region home of the head of Russian Gold (Russkoe Zoloto), the company said on Friday.
The house of Russian Gold's president, Alexander Tarantsev, in the village of Petrovo Dalneye about 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of Moscow was burgled early on Thursday morning. Four armed assailants in masks entered the walled compound where the house is located, tied up the security guards and stole the keys to Tarantsev's house from the home of the caretaker.
Among the property stolen was part of a diamond collection, antiques and original paintings by Russian masters including Aivazovsky, Shishkin and Repin.
Police are investigating the break-in and searching for the missing property.
"We hope police will solve the crime and recover the stolen property," the company's press service said.
Russian Gold was founded in 1991 and has grown to include a chain of jewelry stores and interests in jewelry production, biotechnology and the hotel business.
MOSCOW, January 14 (RIA Novosti)
