Poland Arrests Russian Scholar Accused of Looting Cultural Sites in Occupied Crimea
Polish authorities have detained a prominent Russian archaeologist sought by Ukraine for directing unauthorized excavations at heritage sites in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The Gaze reports about this, referring to Polish media RMF24.
Officers from Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) arrested the scholar, identified as Alexander B., a senior researcher at the State Hermitage Museum, in a Warsaw hotel several days ago.
He was reportedly traveling through Poland on his way from the Netherlands to the Balkans while delivering a series of archaeology lectures across Europe.
The Warsaw District Court has ordered him held for 40 days while it reviews Ukraine’s request for extradition.
Ukrainian prosecutors placed the archaeologist on an international wanted list in November, accusing him of overseeing illegal archaeological expeditions in Crimea since Russia seized the peninsula in 2014. Investigators say his team conducted unauthorized excavations at the ancient city of Myrmekion near the Kerch Strait without permits from Ukrainian authorities.
The unauthorized work allegedly caused partial destruction of cultural heritage sites, with damages estimated at 200 million hryvnias (about $4.8 million). If extradited and convicted in Ukraine, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
The detained historian declined to provide testimony to the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office. Meanwhile, Poland has formally notified the Russian Embassy of his arrest, as required by diplomatic procedure.
Other media have identified the suspect as Alexander Butyagin, head of the Hermitage Museum’s Department of Ancient Archaeology. Several of his upcoming lectures in Russia, including events planned in Moscow later in December, are already being cancelled.
Ukraine must now submit its full extradition request to Polish authorities, after which the Warsaw court will decide whether the case meets the legal criteria for transfer.
As The Gaze previously reported, Ukrainian craftsmen recreated 12 traditional historical costumes from regions of Ukraine currently occupied by Russia and presented them to the world to prevent the enemy from appropriating Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
Read more on The Gaze: Over 500,000 Cultural Artefacts Evacuated by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture Since Full-Scale Russian Invasion