Russian Archaeologist Wanted by Ukraine Detained in Warsaw
A Russian researcher from the Hermitage was detained in Poland on suspicion of illegal excavations in Crimea. He refused to give testimony; a court remanded him in custody for 40 days. An extradition request is expected.
By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik
December 11, 2025 · 1 min read
Circumstances of the detention
In Poland, officers of the Internal Security Agency detained a Russian scientist and representative of the Hermitage, Alexander B. The detention took place in early December in Warsaw while he was travelling between the Netherlands and the Balkans. Court documents indicate that this concerns Oleksandr Butyagin, head of the Department of Ancient Archaeology of the State Hermitage; in Europe he had been giving a series of lectures.
Criminal suspicions and proceedings
In November 2024 the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol notified him in absentia of suspicion in connection with illegal archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Myrmekion in Kerch. According to the investigation’s version, since 2014 search groups operated under his leadership without the necessary permits, which partially destroyed a cultural heritage site and caused damage of more than UAH 200 million.
After the detention, the suspect was questioned by the Warsaw prosecutor’s office; he refused to testify. A court ordered him to be held in custody for 40 days. It is expected that the Ukrainian side will send an official request for extradition to Poland. Polish law enforcement notified the Russian diplomatic mission about the detention; the subject’s planned lectures in Russia at the end of December have been canceled.
