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Polish court refuses to release Russian archaeologist, despite support from EU scientists

An appeals court in Warsaw earlier upheld the first instance court’s ruling to keep the man in custody until March 4

SIMFEROPOL, February 24. /TASS/. A court in Warsaw has refused to release Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who has been held in a detention center for almost three months, despite support from European scientists, according to Butyagin’s family.

An appeals court in Warsaw earlier upheld the first instance court’s ruling to keep the man in custody until March 4. According to judge, the defense team failed to provide a strong argument to support the complaint.

"Despite the letters of support from European colleagues and other arguments from his defense, the court ruled to keep Alexander in custody. The date of the next extradition hearing has not yet been set, but it is known that it will take place before March 4," his relative wrote on Telegram.

Butyagin’s case

Alexander Butyagin, who heads the North Black Sea region sector at the Ancient World department of the world-famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and heads the museum’s Kerch expedition, was detained on December 4, when he was on his way from the Netherlands to the Balkans. According to the Polish media, he refused to make a statement to prosecutors. A court in Warsaw ruled to place him in custody. According to the Polish prosecutor’s office, which received an extradition request from Kiev for Butyagin, he could face up to ten years in prison in Ukraine.

In November 2024, Ukraine’s authorities brought charges in absentia against a Russian archaeologist for engaging in allegedly illegal excavations in Crimea. Although his name was not announced publicly, the Ukrainian media said that it was Butyagin.

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