"According to prosecutors, Ukraine accuses him of damaging a cultural heritage site during archaeological work in Crimea, causing losses estimated at more than 200 million hryvnyas (about $4.8 million). If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison. The charges stem from excavations carried out after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014."
"Ukraine considers such work illegal without its authorization, arguing it violates both domestic law and international conventions on protecting cultural heritage in occupied territories. Butyagin is a senior researcher at the prestigious State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, and he has led archaeological expeditions in Crimea for decades, including at the ancient Greek site of Mirmekion near Kerch."
"Russia's Foreign Ministry has condemned Butyagin's arrest, calling the charges 'absurd' and politically motivated. In January, the ministry summoned Poland's ambassador to Moscow to lodge a protest, describing Butyagin as a [victim of political persecution]."
A Warsaw district court approved Ukraine's extradition request for Russian archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin, arrested in December 2025 while traveling through Poland. Ukraine accuses him of illegally conducting excavations in Crimea and damaging cultural heritage sites, with estimated losses exceeding 200 million hryvnyas ($4.8 million). If convicted, Butyagin faces up to five years imprisonment. The charges relate to post-2014 excavations conducted after Russia's Crimea annexation. Ukraine argues such work violates domestic law and international cultural heritage protection conventions. Butyagin, a senior researcher at Saint Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum, has led Crimean archaeological expeditions for decades. Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned the arrest as politically motivated and absurd, while Butyagin's legal team announced plans to appeal the extradition decision.
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