Instead of extraditing him to Ukraine, Poland handed over Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin to Russia as part of a detainee exchange, said Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski.
In March 2026, a court in Warsaw ruled to extradite the archaeologist to Ukraine. This decision was appealed.
The exchange of detainees took place at the Polish-Belarusian border. As stated by the FSB of the Russian Federation, Butyagin was exchanged for two officers of the Moldovan special services.
In early December 2025, Alexander Butyagin was detained in Warsaw at the request of Ukraine, where he has been wanted since 2024. The Russian scholar was giving lectures in Europe and was in Poland en route from the Netherlands.
Since 1999, Butyagin has been leading the Mirmeik archaeological expedition, which studies the ancient settlement of Mirmeik located in modern-day Kerch. Ukrainian authorities consider Butyagin's participation in excavations after 2014, that is, since the annexation of Crimea by Russia, to be illegal.
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