According to Polish radio RMF24, archaeologist Alexander Butyagin was detained in Poland.
In 2022, Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin during excavations of the ancient city of Mirmekiy near Kerch, on the occupied Crimean peninsula, discovered a treasure of 30 coins from the era of Alexander the Great’s rule. It is estimated that the value of the find exceeds 8.5 million hryvnias. For illegal works on the occupied territory of Ukraine he was named a suspect, and subsequently arrested in Poland during extradition proceedings.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic said that Butyagin is one of several suspects in cases related to Crimean excavations: a total of seven suspects, among the defendants are citizens of Russia and Ukraine who engaged in excavations in Crimea.
According to the suspicion of Butyagin, the ARC Prosecutor’s Office charged him with illegal excavations on the occupied territory; on December 11 it was confirmed that the archaeologist had been detained in Poland.
“He was traveling through Warsaw on the road from the Netherlands to the Balkans. After questioning, the prosecutor filed a petition with the court for a temporary arrest. The court granted the petition and ordered the detention of Alexander B. for 40 days.”
– RMF24 reporter Krzysztof Zasada
Now the Ukrainian side must submit to Poland an official extradition request. It should be noted that Butyagin is not the only subject in such cases: “Today seven suspects have been named. And these are Crimean archaeologists – people who excavate in Crimea. These include both Ukrainian citizens and citizens of the Russian Federation. Therefore we provide a legal assessment to all who illegally carry out this activity,” said Vitaliy Sekretar, the first deputy head of the ARC Prosecutor’s Office.
“Today seven suspects have been named. And these are Crimean archaeologists – people who excavate in Crimea. These include both Ukrainian citizens and citizens of the Russian Federation. Therefore we provide a legal assessment to all who illegally carry out this activity”
– Vitaliy Sekretar, first deputy head of the ARC Prosecutor’s Office
Context: Excavations, Propaganda, and Permit Oversight
This year the Security Service of Ukraine announced the wanted list for Russian archaeologist Vladimir Tolstikov, who for decades led excavations in Pantikapaion near Kerch. After the occupation he continued his work in scientific projects, supplementing them with propagandist rhetoric spreading across various regions. Analysts from the Regional Center for Human Rights emphasize that such actions negatively affect the scientific potential and cultural heritage of the region.
“Tolstikov has been digging there since the Soviet era. Accordingly, this is an imperial ambition. This person, who continually works there, regards it as his place, his achievements and even broadcasts this to the masses later, that ‘thanks to my expedition we have this knowledge about this, that this is the oldest place in Russia’. Everyone is working on this mythologization, that this is Russia’s own property. The problem is that they have appropriated and spread this message that it is their heritage”
– Yaroslava Semenova, analyst at the Regional Center for Human Rights
According to Denys Yashny, archaeological excavations in occupied Crimea are not only of scientific interest but also a source of funding: “The Russian Institute of Archaeology earns from these excavations. And naturally, it has its own lobbyists who bankroll these excavations. For excavations on construction sites, those who build pay for them. Essentially, the talk is about the Russian budget,” the historian emphasized.
“The same Russian Institute of Archaeology earns from these excavations. And of course, it has its own lobbyists who advocate conducting these excavations. For excavations on construction sites, those who build pay and fully cover them, obviously, the builder. Essentially, we are talking about the Russian budget”
– Denys Yashny, head of the monitoring group NGO “Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies”
The ARC Prosecutor’s Office notes that control over excavation permits is carried out through documents issued by the Russian Ministry of Culture in the form of open letters, specifying the exact performer and the location of the works. Since the occupation of Crimea, more than 2,500 permits of various types have been issued – from reconnaissance to full-scale excavations. In the regions, permits are also used in construction projects, leading to the disappearance of burial mounds and interference with the cultural layer.
“If in 2014 about 50 permits were issued for Crimea and about 50 for Sevastopol, then in 2017 there were over 130 for Crimea and about 70 for Sevastopol. In 2019 the picture changed – about 140 permits for Sevastopol and Crimea. The total number in recent years exceeds 2,500”
– Denis Yashny, head of the NGO “Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies”
Experts emphasize the systemic nature and scale of the practice of issuing permits by Russian structures for excavations on the temporarily occupied peninsula. Ukraine documents these facts from open sources and passes them to international institutions to assess the impact on the preservation of cultural heritage and the region’s scientific base.