Activities of Looters in the Republic of Bashkortostan (According to Analysis of Internet Communities in 2018–2020)

ABSTRACT In the last decade, the activities of looters have become increasingly widespread in Russia. For certain regions of a huge country, for example the Republic of Bashkortostan, this problem is of key importance. The analysis of various sources presented in this paper shows that the system of protection of archaeological sites in Russia is ineffective in counteracting looters. There are neither analytical materials nor scientific papers that objectively reflect their illegal activities in the information area. One of the most accessible sources for studying the activities of looters is virtual communities in social networks. Using a variety of software products and scientific techniques, subscribers and content of three communities of looters in the social network Vkontakte have been studied. This study concludes that social networks actively promote the practices of looters and develop effective methods and ways to avoid responsibility.