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26 letters from Voltaire to Catherine II, which were sold at Sotheby's for 583.2 thousand euros with a starting price of 300 thousand. This is a record price for personal messages from the 18th century. The buyer turned out to be Russian collector Alexander Khochinsky. According to him, the letters will certainly return to Russia soon. To questions about whether someone’s bureaucratic will was behind this purchase, Khochinsky answered laconically: “No comment.” The value of the acquisition is comparable to the purchase of Faberge eggs by Viktor Vekselberg.