Russia demands release of detained archaeologist facing extradition to Ukraine
Russia has formally protested the detention of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin by Polish authorities, demanding his immediate release instead of extradition to Ukraine. Butyagin, an employee of the Hermitage museum, was arrested last month following a request from Kyiv, which accuses him of unauthorized excavations and plundering historical artifacts in Crimea. The Russian Foreign Ministry, summoning Polish ambassador Krzysztof Krajewski on Monday, dismissed the Ukrainian charges as "absurd," asserting that Butyagin had worked in Crimea for decades and all his finds were transferred to a local museum. Russia insists that Ukraine's legal system is not a legitimate avenue for justice in this case.
