Poland receives request from Ukraine to extradite Russian archaeologist - Media

Poland has received a request from Ukraine to extradite Russian archaeologist Alexander B., whom Kyiv has declared wanted for illegal excavations in Crimea following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Polish prosecutor's office will evaluate the request and forward it to the court along with its assessment, Ukrinform reports, citing Rmf24.

According to the publication, the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw must evaluate the Ukrainian request from a formal point of view, in particular, whether it complies with the 1957 European Convention on Extradition. If there are no objections on this issue, the prosecutor's office will examine whether there are any objections to the transfer of the Russian citizen to Ukraine. In particular, it will examine whether the person is under investigation in Poland, whether asylum proceedings are ongoing, etc.

It is emphasized that the prosecutor's office will subsequently work out its position and, together with the request from the Ukrainian side, submit it to the court.

“It is likely that a motion will also be filed to extend the temporary arrest of Alexander B., which expires on January 13. The final decision on extradition will be made by the court,” the publication notes.

As reported by Ukrinform, in early December, Polish special services detained in Warsaw a well-known Russian archaeologist, Hermitage employee Alexander B., who was wanted internationally by Ukraine for conducting illegal excavations in Crimea. He was passing through Poland while traveling from the Netherlands to the Balkans. He gave a series of lectures on archaeology in Europe. The Ukrainian prosecutor's office issued a warrant for his arrest in November this year for leading illegal archaeological expeditions in Crimea since 2014. In particular, his group conducted illegal excavations in the ancient city of Myrmekion on the shore of the Kerch Strait in Crimea without the appropriate permits from the Ukrainian authorities. According to Ukrainian investigators, these actions resulted in the partial destruction of cultural heritage sites, with damages estimated at 200 million hryvnia. The Russian citizen faces 10 years in prison for this crime.

According to Russian media reports, the person in question is Alexander Butiagin, head of the Hermitage's Department of Ancient Archaeology.