In Poland, the court allowed the extradition to Ukraine of Russian Alexander Butyagin, the head of excavations in Crimea

The District Court of Warsaw allowed the extradition to Ukraine of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, head of excavations at the Myrmeky site in Crimea. The scientist was arrested by Poland at the Ukrainian request in December 2025.

The head of the ancient archeology sector of the Northern Black Sea region of the State Hermitage led the expedition back in 1999. Initially, the excavations were carried out with permission from Ukraine, but he continued archaeological research after the peninsula was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Ukrainian side claims that the excavations were a violation of its sovereignty. She accuses Butyagin of causing damage to a cultural site. Russia also appropriated archaeological artifacts discovered during the excavations, in particular 30 antique gold coins.

The archaeologist’s defense intends to appeal the court’s decision. She notes that Butyagin was detained during a European tour, during which he visited several countries without hindrance. If a higher court upholds the verdict, the decision on extradition will have to be approved by the Polish Minister of Justice.