Warsaw Court Orders 40-Day Detention of Russian Archaeologist Pending Anticipated Ukrainian Extradition Request

Overview

• Alexander Butyagin, a Hermitage Museum archaeologist, was detained in Poland on December 4 while traveling from the Netherlands to the Balkans, and Polish media report he declined to testify to prosecutors.
• A Warsaw court on December 12 placed him in pretrial detention for 40 days as authorities indicated a formal extradition request from Kyiv is expected.
• The Russian Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Archaeology called the detention unfounded and said they are preparing an appeal to the global academic community, according to vice president Nikolai Makarov.
• Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsky described the situation as serious and said the museum is involved, asserting Butyagin followed legal and ethical excavation norms with required permits and that finds were transferred to the Kerch museum.
• Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russian embassy staff visited Butyagin in Warsaw and are in contact with his lawyer, who is appealing the detention decision.