Poland agrees to extradite Russian archaeologist involved in excavations in Crimea to Ukraine

A court in Poland has approved the extradition of Russian archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin to Ukraine, where he is wanted by law enforcement for conducting excavations in Russian-occupied Crimea, although the decision can still be appealed.

Source: Polish web portal Onet, as reported by European Pravda

Details: On 18 March, the Warsaw District Court ruled that Ukraine's request for Butyagin's extradition may be granted.

The archaeologist's lawyer, Adam Domański, said they will file an appeal.

Background:

• Ukraine accuses Butyagin of conducting illegal excavations and looting historical artefacts in occupied Crimea and has placed him on the wanted list on those grounds.
• Butyagin was detained in December 2025 at a hotel in Warsaw during a lecture tour in Europe. Ukraine subsequently filed an extradition request.
• Following the detention, Moscow summoned the Polish ambassador in Russia to protest against Butyagin's extradition to Ukraine.

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