Poland reviews Ukraine’s extradition bid for Russian archaeologist
A court in Poland has opened proceedings in the case of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, a Hermitage Museum employee, who is facing possible extradition to Ukraine.
According to Russian media, Butyagin was transported to the Polish district court under escort, where judges are set to examine Kyiv’s request.
Ukraine is seeking his extradition due to his long-running archaeological work in Crimea. The Polish court is handling the extradition request in a closed session.
On January 12, the same court extended Butyagin’s detention until March 4.
Butyagin was detained in Warsaw in December 2025 at the request of Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities consider the archaeological expeditions at the ancient settlement of Myrmekion in Crimea — expeditions he has led since 1999 — to be unlawful. Kyiv also alleges that the work conducted by Butyagin and his team resulted in the “destruction of Crimean cultural heritage sites.” Russian officials have condemned his arrest as politically motivated.
Alexander Butyagin serves as head of the North Pontic Archaeology Section within the State Hermitage Museum’s Department of the Ancient World and has directed the museum’s Myrmekion archaeological expedition for more than two decades. He was detained around 4 December in an operation carried out by Poland’s Internal Security Agency. At the time, he was passing through Warsaw on a trip from Amsterdam to Belgrade and was taken into custody at his hotel.
After his detention, the court ordered a standard 40-day custody period, which applies in cases involving potential extradition. The Russian Embassy was informed of the arrest only on December 9, and embassy representatives visited him the following day at Warsaw’s Białołęka detention centre.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has already described Kyiv’s accusations as “absurd, politicised, and speculative.” The head of the Polish diplomatic mission was summoned to the ministry, where he was presented with a demand for Butyagin’s release.
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