MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. The lawyer of Alexander Butyagin, a Russian archeologist arrested in Poland at Ukraine's request, will appeal to the Justice Ministry and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if the Warsaw district court decides to extradite the scientist to Ukraine, 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 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.