Russian archaeologist freed in US-brokered prisoner exchange vows to return to occupied Crimea

Prefer on Google by Kate Tsurkan Photo for illustrative purposes. Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin is escorted by Polish police officers to the courtroom of Warsaw's Regional Court in Warsaw, Poland on Jan. 15, 2026 for extradition procedure to Ukraine, where he is to be put on trial for conducting excavations in the occupied territory of the Crimean peninsula. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP via Getty Images) After being freed in a U.S.-brokered prisoner exchange, Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin told Russian state-controlled media in his first interview on April 30 that he'll "for sure" return to Crimea, where he conducted illegal excavations since 2014 with the support of occupation authorities. Butyagin, who was traveling through Poland on his way to a conference, was arrested in December at Ukraine's request. His extradition to Ukraine was approved by a Polish court on March 18, but he was included in a five-for-five U.S.-brokered prisoner exchange on April 28. "I’ve only been free for two days. But (I'll go to Crimea) in the summer for sure! Maybe I’ll also go to a conference before that — I don’t have information yet on whether it will take place this year. But I think I’ll find out very soon. Of course, I’d really like to be there," Butyagin told Russian state-controlled media. In his interview with Russian state-controlled media, Butyagin also thanked the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and other government bodies for their efforts to secure his release. Ukraine decried the archaeologist's release soon after the news broke, declaring that it would continue to pursue all legal avenues to bring him to justice. According to Ukrainian authorities, Butyagin not only continued to conduct illegal archaeological excavations following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, but he also caused nearly $5 million in damages to Ukraine's cultural heritage. Butyagin has attempted to defend his work on the peninsula following the occupation, claiming that science is "above politics. His position, however, contradicts international humanitarian law, which establishes clear restrictions on activities in occupied territories. Butyagin is professionally associated with the State Hermitage Museum, whose director, Mikhail Piotrovsky, was among the Russian cultural figures sanctioned by the European Union on April 23 for their archaeological work in Crimea and crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage.