“The Warsaw Prosecutor’s Office supported Ukraine’s request to extradite Russian archaeologist Oleksandr Butyagin, who is suspected of illegal excavations in occupied Crimea. The court is currently considering the issue of his further detention”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to the procedure, the Warsaw court has already received a corresponding request. The position of the prosecutor’s office, attached to the case file, confirms support for Kyiv’s demand to extradite the suspect. At this stage, the court is considering the issue of further detention of the Russian.
Butyagin was detained at the request of Ukraine on December 11 on suspicion of illegal excavations in Crimea. In Ukraine, Butyagin has been declared wanted since 2024. The Russian scientist gave lectures in Europe and was in Poland en route from the Netherlands. The term of the Russian’s arrest expires on January 13, 2026.
Oleksandr Butyagin is the head of the sector of ancient archeology of the Northern Black Sea region of the Ancient World department of the Hermitage. Since 1999, he has been managing the works of the Myrmekii archaeological expedition, which is investigating the ancient settlement of Myrmekii on the territory of modern Kerch.
The authorities of Ukraine call Butyagin’s illegal participation in excavations after 2014 – since the occupation of Crimea by Russia.
The archaeologist is suspected of partially destroying a cultural heritage site and causing damages in the amount of more than 201.6 million hryvnias ($4.8 million), said Piotr Skiba, a spokesman for the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office. Naukovtseva may face up to five years in prison in Ukraine. In Warsaw, Butyagin was sent under arrest for 40 days, Russian diplomats visited him behind bars.
The Hermitage emphasized that Butyagin always followed “international norms of conducting archaeological research, both legal and ethical.” At the same time, according to museum employees, the management of the Hermitage has not allocated funds to help Butyagin and is trying to keep the case quiet.