The court extended the arrest of Russian archaeologist Butyagin. He will await the decision on extradition to Ukraine in a PTDC

The District Court of Warsaw has extended the arrest of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin until June 1. He will continue to await a decision on extradition to Ukraine in a pre-trial detention center (PTDC).

This was reported by a correspondent for the media outlet Graty from the courtroom.

Butyagin was not present at the hearing, which lasted about 20 minutes. The previous arrest decision was in effect until March 4. The defense appealed it, but the appeals court confirmed the legality of Butyaginʼs detention in the pre-trial detention center.

At the March 3 hearing, the prosecutorʼs office maintained its position that Butyagin should remain in custody, while the defense requested that he be kept under house arrest in Warsaw pending a decision on extradition. Friends and acquaintances of the Russian archaeologist raised money for the rental of the apartment through social media. They managed to collect more than €60 000 for the costs associated with the trial.

Letters in his support, asking to change the preventive measure, were sent by scientists from Germany, France, Poland, and most of all from Italy (Butyagin led an archaeological expedition in Stabiae near Naples in the 2010s). The lawyer refused to name specific names and institutions.

Butyaginʼs lawyer reported that the next hearing will take place on March 18.

• Hermitage employee Alexander Butyagin was detained in Warsaw on December 4, 2025, at the request of the Ukrainian prosecutorʼs office. He is the head of a Russian archaeological expedition in Crimea.
• In Ukraine, he is suspected of conducting illegal excavations on the territory of the Myrmekion settlement in occupied Crimea and destroying the cultural layer of an archaeological site worth over UAH 200 million.

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