Polish Court Approves Extradition of Russian Archaeologist to Ukraine

Wed Mar 18 2026 19:35:28 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A Polish judge has ruled that Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archaeologist accused of illegal excavations in Crimea, can be sent to Ukraine for trial, although he plans to appeal the decision.

In Poland, a judge has authorized the extradition of Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archaeologist facing charges of illegal excavations in the Crimean peninsula. The ruling allows Ukraine to request Butyagin's transfer for trial, though his defense indicates plans to appeal. Previously arrested at Ukraine's request in December, Butyagin denies the allegations and faces potential imprisonment of up to five years if convicted. This decision marks a rare instance of a court allowing extradition amid ongoing geopolitical tensions stemming from Russia's annexation of Crimea.

A judge in Poland has ruled that Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin can be extradited to Ukraine, although his defence says he will appeal.

Butyagin is being held in a Warsaw prison for allegedly conducting illegal excavations and plundering artefacts from the ancient city of Myrmekion in Crimea - Ukraine's peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

If Judge Dariusz Łubowski's ruling is upheld, a final decision on extradition will rest with Poland's justice minister.

Butyagin, arrested in Poland at Ukraine's request in December, denies all the allegations. If convicted, he faces up to five years in jail. Russia has demanded his immediate release, saying the case is politically motivated.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European courts in several instances have refused to extradite Russians to Ukraine, citing the possible risk of violations to the European Convention on Human Rights.

The archaeologist's life and wellbeing would be at risk if he were extradited to Ukraine, Butyagin's lawyer Adam Domański has said.

A senior scholar at the Hermitage, Russia's largest art museum in St Petersburg, Butyagin has overseen the museum's excavations of Myrmekion since 1999. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the work continued without Kyiv's consent.

He could face a jail term of up to five years if found guilty of plundering artefacts, including 30 gold coins, resulting in damage estimated at more than $4.5m (£3.4m).

Butyagin is currently in a detention centre in Warsaw, and a motion to release him on bail has been turned down.