After the failed Uprising of 1863, the Tsarist regime enacted strict Russification policies. Already in November 1863, Governor General Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky ordered a sculpture of King Władysław II Jagiełło and Jadwiga by sculptor to be removed as it inspired Polish patriotism. In February 1865, Muravyov organized a commission to reorganize the museum which included general Arkady Dmitrievich Stolypin, , . The commission sought to discredit the museum and targeted sentimental items related to Polish and romantic nationalism, often ridiculing their dubious value and authenticity. For example, the commission frequently mentioned "moth eaten" cloak of poet Adam Mickiewicz and the binoculars that allegedly used by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Battle of Maciejowice but were proven to be of a later technology. Many of museum holdings even remotely related to the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were taken to the Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow. For example, bust of Thomas Jefferson was removed fearing associations with Tadeusz Kościuszko or liberal democratic ideas. According to official protocols, the commission eliminated only 256 objects, but many more were moved to Moscow – estimated at 10,000 total items with perhaps as many as 6,029 numismatic items. Models of fortifications were removed to the Vilnius Military School. There were also reports of thefts and vandalism while the museum was closed. The thefts, particularly of numismatic items, continued. In 1902, the museum discovered long-term falsification of inventory books and more than 300 missing items.