Poland, Moldova nationals freed in 5-for-5 swap at Polish-Belarusian border

Prefer on Google by Tim Zadorozhnyy Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomes released journalist Andrzej Poczobut on April 28, 2026. (Donald Tusk / X)  This story is being updated with additional details. Five detainees — including three Polish nationals, among them journalist Andrzej Poczobut, and two Moldovan citizens — were released in a U.S.-facilitated five-for-five exchange at the Polish-Belarusian border, U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale said on April 28. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said that, as part of the exchange, Poland released Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin , who had been detained over illegal excavations in occupied Crimea. Butyagin, who had been traveling through Poland after delivering a lecture in the Netherlands, was arrested in mid-December at Ukraine's request. Ukrainian authorities say that his excavations caused Ukraine damages exceeding 200 million hryvnias ($4.5 million). A Polish court earlier approved the extradition of Butyagin to Ukraine. "We thank Poland, Moldova, and Romania for their invaluable support in this effort, as well as President Lukashenka's willingness to pursue constructive engagement with the U.S.," Coale said . Poczobut, a journalist and activist representing Belarus's Polish minority, was detained in 2021 during a broader crackdown by the Belarusian government on independent media and minority groups following the mass anti-government protests of 2020. He spent more than 1,800 days in detention under Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's regime. "The exchange at the Polish-Belarusian border is the finale of a two-year-long intricate diplomatic game, full of dramatic twists," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said . "It succeeded thanks to the outstanding work of our services, diplomats, and prosecutors, as well as the tremendous help from our American, Romanian, and Moldovan friends."