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Defense to appeal Polish court's ruling to extend arrest of Russian archaeologist

The defense asked to change the measure of restraint so that Alexander Butyagin "could live in normal conditions and not stay in jail"

MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. The lawyer of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin will appeal the Warsaw court's decision to extend his arrest, the scientist's relatives said on Telegram.

"The defense will appeal to the Court of Appeal within seven days. Besides the official address and the available letters of guarantee, the appeal will include additional surety letters, which we expect from Alexander's colleagues in the coming days. The appeal will have to wait at least a month," they said.

The defense asked to change the measure of restraint so that Butyagin "could live in normal conditions and not stay in jail."

"Letters of guarantee from Alexander's European colleagues were submitted to the court, confirming that if released, he would faithfully comply with all the conditions set by the court. The lawyer also provided the court with evidence that he has a place to live and an official postal address in Poland for the duration of the proceedings (an apartment that was rented for three months thanks to your [subscribers and colleagues] financial support). Nevertheless, the court decided to keep Alexander in custody," the relatives said.

The lawyer requested that the extradition hearing to Ukraine, scheduled for January 15, be postponed to get more time to prepare a defense. "This request was also denied. The extradition hearing is still scheduled for January 15," they said.

The Butyagin case

In 2024, Ukraine charged a Russian archaeologist conducting excavations in Crimea in absentia. The name was not indicated in official reports, but according to several Ukrainian media reports, it was about Alexander Butyagin, head of the Department of Ancient archeology of the Northern Black Sea Region of the State Hermitage Museum, head of the archaeological expedition to the Myrmekiy settlement in Crimea.

Butyagin was detained by Polish special services on his way from the Netherlands to the Balkans on December 4. According to Polish media, he refused to testify at the prosecutor's office. The Warsaw court arrested the archaeologist for 40 days. On December 23, the Polish prosecutor's office received an extradition request from Ukraine. According to the Polish prosecutor's office, Butyagin could face up to 10 years in prison in Ukraine.

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