Russia and Moldova Conduct Prisoner Exchange Involving Intelligence Officers

Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin and the wife of a Russian serviceman have been exchanged for two Moldovan intelligence officers, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement.

On April 28, 2026, two Russian nationals - archaeologist Alexander Butyagin and the wife of a Russian serviceman from the Russian peacekeeping force in Transnistria who had been illegally held in countries unfriendly to Russia - were brought home as a result of a swap carried out on the Belarus-Poland border, the statement reads.

The Russians were exchanged for two Moldovan intelligence officers who had claimed they were Moldovan nationals recruited by an officer of the General Directorate of Foreign Intelligence of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service, the FSB added.

The two arrived in Russia in 2025 using forged documents in order to collect intelligence but were identified and detained by Russian security agencies. The Moldovan intelligence agents realized they had been exposed but tried to carefully hide the fact they were foreign career intelligence officers. However, investigators succeeded in collecting overwhelming evidence of their being part of Moldova's intelligence agency, the FSB noted.

According to the agency, the Russian nationals have been brought home through a multi-stage operation the FSB carried out together with Belarus’ State Security Committee (KGB).

Polish intelligence agencies detained Butyagin on his way from the Netherlands to the Balkans on December 4, 2025 during his European lecture tour. A Warsaw court ruled that the archaeologist be taken into custody. Polish prosecutors received an extradition request from Ukraine and said Butyagin could face up to 10 years in prison in Ukraine. A Warsaw court of first instance ruled to extradite Butyagin, but his defense was going to appeal the decision.