Why are we writing about this?
A high-ranking representative of the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg was detained on December 11 in Poland by the Internal Security Agency. Previously, Alexander Butyagin was prosecuted by Ukraine for illegal archaeological exploration in occupied Crimea.
He was supposed to be in Poland on his way from the Netherlands to the Balkans, where he was giving a series of lectures. Then the ABW officers arrested him. Now the Ukrainian prosecutor's office will demand his extradition.
When will the court hearing on the arrest appeal take place?
Why is Ukraine demanding the deportation of Alexander Butyagin?
What work was carried out by Alexander Butyagin in Crimea?
What restrictions does Alexander Butyagin have in custody?
Who is the detained Russian?
Alexander Butyagin, detained in Warsaw, is a respected Russian archaeologist, art historian and long-time employee of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The scientist is behind the excavations in occupied Crimea, which led to, among others, to discover a treasure from the times of Alexander the Great. For this reason, the Russian was placed on the list of Ukrainian military intelligence.
The Ukrainian prosecutor's office claims that since 2014, Alexander Butyagin was one of the leaders of Russian archaeological teams operating in occupied Crimea without Ukrainian permits. He was to supervise work in the “Ancient City of Myrmekion”, which, according to investigators, led to the partial destruction of the archaeological site. The losses were estimated at over PLN 17 million.
What did the Russian's relatives and his lawyer say?
On Tuesday, December 30, information about the Russian was provided by his relatives. “Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, the Christmas holidays have ended in Poland and we finally hear from Alexander. Yesterday, his lawyer visited him. After visiting Alexander, the lawyer sent a letter with the current status of the case. We share it with you. Alexander is still not allowed to make phone calls, and the transmission of letters is currently difficult because the consulate representatives are on vacation. However, he asked the lawyer to tell us all that he is impressed by the number of people who support him, and he gives everyone a huge thank you,” reads the family's statement.
The lawyer explained that “the court hearing on the arrest appeal has not yet been scheduled, but is expected in early January.” The pro-Kremlin news agency TASS reports that “work is underway to translate the documents into Polish.” — Today we also talked to the prosecutor regarding the extradition request. The prosecutor forwarded the application to the translator. After completing the translation and returning it, the prosecutor will provide us with the document for inspection, the lawyer explained.
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