Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, whom Poland handed over to Belarus as part of the exchange, wants to continue illegal excavations in occupied Crimea. He stated this to Vesti propagandists after his release.
“I think so [вернусь]. The question now is rather whether I will have time to organize the expedition before the summer, because reports still need to be submitted there, and since I left for five months, this is a long time. I think that maybe people will be in my position. And I think that the work should continue,” he said.
Butyagin was released on April 28 after an exchange of detainees between Belarus and Poland according to the “five by five” formula.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said on April 28 that it would continue to seek to bring him to justice for crimes against Ukraine and its cultural heritage.
