Overview
- A Polish court ordered the detainee, identified locally as Alexander B., held for 40 days while authorities await a formal extradition request from Ukraine.
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry named him as Hermitage Museum scholar Alexander Butyagin, saying he was detained in Warsaw on Dec. 4 while on a European lecture trip.
- Ukraine alleges more than 200 million hryvnias in damage at Myrmekion in Kerch and the seizure of 30 gold coins, with charges filed in November 2024 carrying a potential 10-year sentence.
- The Kremlin condemned the detention as legal abuse and Russia’s Foreign Ministry called it politically motivated, reporting that diplomats visited Butyagin and that his lawyer is appealing.
- Poland’s special services minister said Ukrainian authorities suspect the theft of cultural property, and prosecutors confirmed they are awaiting Kyiv’s extradition filing.