The loss of several hundred items came to light on July 31 during a routine inspection.
The items were not insured. Piotrovsky said the jewelry was in storage, and the theft probably took place some time ago.
(AP)
The Hermitage, Russia's most famous museum (epa) August 1, 2006 -- The director of Russia's Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Piotrovsky, says the theft of jewelry worth $5 million can only have taken place with the complicity of museum staff.
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