Russian archaeologist Oleg Butyagin, detained in Poland at Ukraine's request for alleged illegal excavations in Crimea, has been released as part of a prisoner exchange with Belarus. He returned to St. Petersburg on May 1st.
Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin has returned to St. Petersburg following his release in a five-for-five prisoner exchange at the Belarusian-Polish border. He had been detained in Poland since December 2024 due to an extradition request from Ukraine.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian intelligence agencies successfully secured the release of archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who had been detained in Poland, through a complex exchange for two Moldovan intelligence officers.
Russian archaeologist and historian Alexander Butyagin has been released as part of a prisoner exchange at the Belarusian-Polish border. The five-for-five deal involved citizens from Russia, Belarus, and other CIS countries. Butyagin was detained by Polish authorities on December 4, 2025, while traveling from the Netherlands to the Balkans on a European lecture tour, facing potential extradition to Ukraine where he could have received a ten-year prison sentence.
