Who Is Alexander Butyagin and What Was He Doing in Crimea

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❗️Poland handed over arrested archaeologist Alexander Butyagin to Russia, according to Nasha Niva and TASS. The Russian state agency cites an FSB statement saying that the exchange took place on the Belarusian-Polish border. The security service claims that…

Who Is Alexander Butyagin and What Was He Doing in Crimea

Since 1999, Butyagin has headed the Myrmekion archaeological expedition, which studies the ancient settlement of Myrmekion in what is now Kerch. Ukrainian authorities consider Butyagin's participation in the excavations after 2014 illegal, that is, from the moment of Russia's annexation of Crimea. The archaeologist is suspected of partially destroying a cultural heritage site and causing damage exceeding 201.6 million hryvnias ($4.8 million). In Ukraine, he faced up to five years in prison.

In an interview he gave from a Polish pretrial detention center, Butyagin said he continued working in Crimea after 2014 because he believed it was necessary and the right thing to do for the monument.

Read more about Butyagin on Meduza's website.

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“Ready for prison and for the poorhouse, I do what I must for Russia” Meduza tells the story of archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who…

In early December, St. Petersburg archaeologist Alexander Butyagin was detained in Poland and has been held in a detention center in Warsaw ever since. The head of the Hermitage’s North Black Sea archaeology sector ended up wanted at Ukraine’s request, which suspects him of “destroying…”