The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has announced its intention to continue using all available procedural tools to hold Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin accountable for offenses committed against Ukraine and its cultural heritage.
This is reported by Finway
The Ukrainian position on Butyagin’s extradition
The office emphasized that Ukraine has consistently demanded Butyagin’s extradition to bring him to criminal responsibility. Proceedings are underway against the archaeologist for conducting illegal archaeological excavations and exporting cultural valuables from temporarily occupied Crimea.
“The Office of the Prosecutor General will continue to use all national and international mechanisms to hold this individual accountable for committing crimes against Ukraine and its cultural heritage. This will occur through the procedure of absentia prosecution,” the office stated.
Decisions of Polish authorities and the exchange of detainees
The prosecution highlighted that the competent authorities of Poland have considered Ukraine’s request and deemed the submitted materials sufficient to address the issue of Butyagin’s extradition. At the same time, the final decision regarding his fate was made within the framework of international agreements related to the procedure for exchanging detainees.
It is worth noting that earlier information emerged indicating that Poland would not extradite Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who is accused by Ukrainian law enforcement of committing a criminal offense for excavations in occupied Crimea. Butyagin became a participant in an exchange in the format of “five for five,” which took place on April 28 at the border between Poland and Belarus.