Should a renowned Russian archaeologist be tried for digging in occupied Crimea?

A Russian archaeologist detained in Poland is at the center of an intense debate over the role of museums and experts and the role they play in the Kremlin’s war propaganda.

Alexander Butiagin is under arrest in Warsaw, awaiting a decision by a Polish court regarding an extradition request to Ukraine.

Until now, European courts have been reluctant to extradite Russians to Ukraine, citing the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Butginging Case of Divided Opinion.

A senior researcher at the Hermitage, Russia’s largest art museum in St. Petersburg, he led the museum’s expedition to the Myrmekion site in Crimea since 1999, long before Russia’s illegal land grab of Ukraine’s southern peninsula in 2014.

His supporters say his work has helped preserve Crimea’s ancient heritage, but critics say he is nothing better than a looter of Ukrainian history making the most of Russian occupation.

Myrmekion dates back to the 6th century BC, when ancient Greeks settled Crimea as democracy was emerging in Athens.

Butyagin’s expedition discovered hundreds of ancient coins at the site, some dating back to the time of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.

His expedition continued after Russia retook Crimea from Ukraine, and a criminal case was opened against him by Ukrainian authorities for working there without permission.

In November 2024, he was placed on a wanted list and in April 2025, a Kyiv court ordered his arrest in absentia. Butyagin is accused of illegal excavations and “illegal partial destruction” of an archaeological complex.

Under the 2nd Protocol to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, occupying authorities “shall prohibit and prevent” any archaeological excavation, with only a few exceptions.

Poland and Ukraine are parties to the protocol, while Russia is not.

Excavations, no matter how ethical, constitute destruction if they take place without permission and in conditions of armed conflict, says Evelina Kravchenko, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Butiagin “violated the Hague Convention, and all his problems stem from that,” says Krachenko, whose committee issued permits for Russian archaeologists to work in Crimea before its annexation.

Butyagin told Russian media last year that he was “simply doing the work to which we have dedicated our lives” and that his main goal was to preserve the monuments.

The Hermitage press service insisted that Butyagin’s work complied with all international legal and ethical standards “regardless of geopolitical circumstances.”

A senior archaeologist at the museum told the BBC that Butyagin followed the only path available to Russian archaeologists working in Crimea.

“A Russian archaeologist, if he wants to continue his research, does not have the possibility of obtaining permissions from the Ukrainian side, but must obtain them from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation,” said the academic, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter.

Several Ukrainian sources have also accused Butyagin of “looting” objects by taking them to Russia, although these accusations are not part of the Ukrainian case.

The archaeologist and the Hermitage insist that all their finds remain in Crimea while they are transferred to the Eastern Crimean Museum in Kerch. They argue that the objects can only be transferred to Russia temporarily for restoration or as exhibition loans.

However, this also violates Ukrainian law, as all finds must be paid into the Ukrainian museum fund. Under the terms of the illegal annexation of Russia, the collection of the Eastern Crimean Museum was included in the fund of Russian museums.

Since the start of the war, several European courts have rejected Ukraine’s extradition requests for Russians, citing potential risks under the European Convention, which prohibits politically motivated persecution, violations of the right to a fair trial, and torture and inhumane treatment of detainees.

Even if the Polish court ruling on Boutyagin’s case finds sufficient grounds to extradite him, it might not happen, said Gleb Bogush, a researcher at the Institute of International Law for Peace and Security at the University of Cologne.

Last June, the Danish Supreme Court ruled against the extradition to Ukraine of a Russian national suspected of spying for Moscow.

According to Gleb Bogush, it is above all the Russian state and its officials who are responsible for the excavations in Crimea, and not Butyagin, because it was not up to the archaeologists to decide whether the Hermitage expedition should continue.

A senior Hermitage employee told the BBC that “a field archaeologist cannot be a global citizen; he deals with officials, obtains permits and must seek funding and volunteers.”

Butyagin has attracted support not only from the Kremlin but also from Russians who oppose Putin and the war.

“The accusations against him are absurd,” said Arsène Vesnine, a journalist and historian in exile. He said Butyagin ensured the conservation and preservation of the site he was excavating.

Others argue that the objects would have been looted by criminals and sold on the black market if Russian archaeologists had refused to work in Crimea.

This does not justify their actions, says Samuel Andrew Hardy, a leading British criminologist specializing in the protection of cultural property in conflict zones.

Official searches don’t always prevent criminal searches, he says. Some looters target sites that have already been searched.

Hardy says all Butyagin supporters do is argue that ultimately Russia should just be allowed to continue doing what it wants, regardless of war.