Poland releases archaeologist Butyagin during exchange with Russia: Ukraine sought his extradition
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that during an exchange with Russia, Warsaw released Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, whose extradition had been sought by Ukraine.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing Rzeczpospolita.
Asked whom Poland had released as part of the prisoner exchange, Sikorski noted that among them was Russian archaeologist Butyagin, whose extradition Ukraine had been awaiting.
"One of those we exchanged was a Russian historian who was in the process of being extradited to Ukraine," he said.
According to Russia’s Interfax news agency, the FSB reported an exchange of archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin and the wife of a Russian serviceman from Transnistria for two career officers of Moldova’s special service.
Andrzej Poczobut, an activist of the Polish community in Belarus who had spent many years behind bars on trumped-up charges, also returned to Poland. The prisoner exchange took place with the assistance of the Trump administration.
It is recalled that in March, a Polish court approved the extradition to Ukraine of Russian archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin, head of a department at the State Hermitage Museum.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said this was the first case in which a Ukrainian request for the extradition of a Russian citizen had received such a judicial assessment. It is a precedent.
Background
- In November 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine, together with the National Police and prosecutors, gathered evidence against a Russian citizen involved in looting Ukrainian cultural heritage in temporarily occupied Crimea. Experts estimate that Ukraine suffered losses of more than UAH 200 million. The archaeologist from Russia’s State Hermitage Museum was served with a notice of suspicion.
- On December 11, 2025, it became known that well-known Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, a Hermitage employee whom Ukraine had put on the international wanted list for conducting illegal archaeological research in occupied Crimea, had been detained in Poland.
- Ukraine submitted a request to Poland for the extradition of the detained Russian archaeologist.
- Prosecutors at the Warsaw District Court supported the extradition to Ukraine of Russian archaeologist Aleksandr B., who is wanted on suspicion of conducting illegal archaeological work in temporarily occupied Crimea.
- On March 18, the Warsaw District Court approved the extradition of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin to Ukraine.
