Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archaeologist and senior scholar at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, has been detained in Poland. He awaits a Polish court decision regarding an extradition request from Ukraine.
Butyagin has led the Hermitage's expedition at Myrmekion, an ancient site in Crimea dating back to the 6th Century BC, since 1999. His archaeological work continued following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Ukrainian authorities initiated a criminal case against Butyagin for conducting excavations without authorization in Crimea. In November 2024, he was placed on a wanted list, and in April 2025, a Kyiv court ordered his arrest in absentia. Butyagin faces accusations of illegal excavations and "illegal partial destruction" of an archaeological complex.
The 2nd Protocol to the Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict stipulates that occupying authorities "shall prohibit and prevent" archaeological excavations, with limited exceptions. Both Poland and Ukraine are signatories to this protocol, while Russia is not.
Evelina Kravchenko, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, states that excavations conducted without permission under armed conflict conditions constitute destruction and violate the Hague Convention. Butyagin, however, told Russian media last year that he was "simply doing the work we've devoted our lives to" and that his primary objective was monument preservation.
The Hermitage press office maintains that Butyagin's work adheres to all international legal and ethical norms, irrespective of geopolitical circumstances. An anonymous senior archaeologist from the Hermitage indicated that Russian archaeologists in Crimea must seek permits from the Russian Ministry of Culture, as obtaining them from the Ukrainian side is not possible.
Some Ukrainian sources have also accused Butyagin of transferring excavated objects to Russia, which they describe as "looting"; however, these specific charges are not part of Ukraine's current legal case. Butyagin and the Hermitage assert that all finds remain in Crimea, being transferred to the Eastern Crimean Museum in Kerch. They state that any relocation to Russia is temporary, for restoration or exhibition loans. This practice, however, is not compliant with Ukrainian law, which requires all archaeological discoveries to be integrated into Ukraine's national museum fund. Following Russia's annexation, the Eastern Crimean Museum's collection was incorporated into Russia's museum fund.
The extradition request faces precedent where European courts have been reluctant to extradite Russian nationals to Ukraine. Such decisions have cited potential risks under the European Convention on Human Rights, including concerns about politically motivated persecution, the right to a fair trial, and the treatment of detainees. For instance, Denmark's Supreme Court ruled against extraditing a Russian national suspected of espionage to Ukraine last June. Gleb Bogush, a researcher at the Institute for International Peace and Security Law at the University of Cologne, suggests that even if grounds for extradition are found, the transfer may not proceed.