Russian Hermitage has cancelled all archaeological expeditions in occupied Crimea, - Russian media
The Russian State Hermitage Museum has cancelled all archaeological expeditions in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
According to Censor.NET, Espreso reports this, citing Russian media.
The excavations were moved to the Kuban region
According to Russian media reports, this year’s archaeological work has been moved to the Kuban region due to the deteriorating security situation.
Archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who had previously found himself at the centre of an international scandal due to his involvement in excavations in the annexed Crimea, made this statement in an interview with the Russian publication *Rotonda*.
In particular, the Myrmekian archaeological expedition near Kerch, led by Butyagin, will not be working on the peninsula this year. A notice to participants stated that the decision had been taken "in light of the escalating situation". Difficult logistics and problems with travelling to Crimea were cited as further reasons.
According to the publication, the Hermitage had previously carried out at least nine archaeological expeditions on the occupied peninsula.
The archaeologist had previously been detained in Poland
Oleksandr Butyagin recently found himself at the centre of international attention after being detained in Poland for taking part in illegal archaeological excavations in occupied Crimea. He was subsequently handed over to Russia as part of an exchange.
