MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archeologist arrested in Poland at Ukraine's request, could spend up to two years in pre-trial detention if the trial is delayed, his relatives said on Telegram.
Butyagin was detained by Polish special services on December 4, 2025, while traveling from the Netherlands to the Balkans during his European lecture tour. A Warsaw court ruled to detain the archeologist, and the Polish Public Prosecutor's Office received an extradition request from Ukraine. According to Polish investigators, Butyagin could face up to ten years in prison in Ukraine. The archeologist's lawyer said that a court decision on the appointment of a new judge and a new trial date is expected. This should happen before February 2, the lawyer specified.
"If the appeal is upheld, the court of appeal does not release the person under Polish law, but rather returns the case for a new trial in the court of first instance. This is followed by new hearings and, if necessary, new appeals. It is a long, multi-stage process. In practice, this means Alexander will remain in a Polish detention center the entire time. According to the lawyers' estimates, the entire process could take 18 to 24 months," the statement said.
According to the Telegram post, the Warsaw district court is currently postponing the scheduling of a hearing to disqualify a judge and appoint a new one.
However, Butyagin’s lawyer has already promised to appeal to the Justice Ministry and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if the court decides to extradite the scientist to Ukraine. "If the appeal is rejected, the defense will move on to the next stage, which includes appeals to the justice minister and the ECHR and a request for temporary measures to suspend extradition," the statement said.
Overall, according to the relatives, Butyagin is in a relatively good mental and physical state. "He is feeling fine and remains in a relatively good mental and physical state, as much as possible under the current circumstances. He continues to have calm relations with his fellow inmates, one of whom has been replaced during this time," the statement said.
At the same time, the archeologist is being supported by indifferent people, who raised a total of almost 64,000 euros for lawyers to defend him. "Since the start of the fundraiser, 63,922 euros has been deposited into Alexander's personal account, opened by his lawyers, both directly and through aggregators. Another 270,000 rubles (almost 2,942 euros - TASS), transferred directly to the organizers of the fundraiser, are in Alexander's personal bank account in Russia and are being transferred in stages to his client account with his lawyers. This is already half of the required amount - the result of support from more than 1,700 people and, perhaps, a little New Year's miracle: the largest number of donations came during the holidays," the statement said.