Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on failed extradition of archaeologist: Russia will use this to justify Crimea's occupation
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it will continue to use all available legal mechanisms to ensure that Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archaeologist suspected of looting historical artefacts in occupied Crimea, is brought to justice.
Source: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi in a comment to journalists
Details: Tykhyi said Ukraine was disappointed to learn that despite an earlier entirely just ruling by a Polish court, the Russian citizen was not ultimately extradited to Ukraine. He is suspected of crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine, including the removal of cultural treasures from Crimea.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry stressed that it will continue to seek justice through legal means.
Quote: "It is clear that the Russian side will cynically use this political and legal incident to justify the occupation of Crimea and the exploitation of Ukraine's temporarily occupied territory by Russian citizens.
Ukraine has consistently maintained that all Russian individuals and entities involved in the occupation and the war must be held to real legal account. In the case of Butyagin and other similar situations, Ukraine will continue to make use of the appropriate legal mechanisms and will also work within the jurisdictions of partner countries."
Background:
- On 29 April, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that Poland had returned Butyagin to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange, even though Ukraine had sought his extradition for his part in carrying out excavations in occupied Crimea.
- The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has reacted to Poland returning Butyagin to Russia instead of extraditing him to Ukraine.