Russian archaeologist Butyagin reported his intention to continue illegal excavations in Crimea

Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who was released from a Polish prison as part of a prisoner exchange between Poland and Belarus on April 28, has said that he will continue illegal archaeological research in temporarily occupied Crimea.

He said this in an interview with the Russian media outlet "Vist".

According to Butyagin, he does not plan to stop illegal excavations in Crimea after five months in a Polish prison, but on the contrary, he wants to have time to resume the expedition in the summer of 2026.

"I think so [I will return]. The question now is more whether I will have time to organize an expedition by the summer, because there are still reports to be submitted, and since I lost five months, this is a long time. I think that, perhaps, people will enter my position. And I think that the work should be continued," Butyagin said.

• Hermitage employee Alexander Butyagin was detained in Warsaw on December 4, 2025, at the request of the Ukrainian prosecutorʼs office. 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.
• Ukraine demanded his extradition, and in January the Polish prosecutorʼs office agreed to this request. In March, a Polish court agreed to extradite Butyagin.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.