On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Poland handed over Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin to Moscow as part of a significant multilateral prisoner exchange. Ukraine had previously requested his extradition for conducting illegal archaeological excavations in occupied Crimea. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski confirmed the details of the swap, as reported by the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita. Meanwhile, the Russian news agency Interfax cited a statement from the Federal Security Service (FSB) confirming Butyagin’s return to Russia. According to Sikorski, the Russian historian was in the final stages of the extradition process to Ukraine before being included in the exchange list.
Alexander Butyagin, the head of the Northern Black Sea Archaeology Sector at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, was detained in Warsaw in December 2025. Following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, he routinely led unauthorized archaeological expeditions at the ancient site of Myrmekion near Kerch. In response, Ukrainian prosecutors charged him with illegal search operations and the destruction of national cultural heritage, officially requesting his extradition.
In March 2026, a Polish district court ruled that Butyagin’s extradition to Ukraine was legally permissible. Ukrainian officials initially welcomed the decision, hoping it would set a precedent for holding Russian entities accountable for the systematic looting of historical artifacts. However, Polish authorities ultimately prioritized the safe return of their own citizens from Belarusian prisons, choosing to include the archaeologist in the negotiated swap.
The exchange, which involved five individuals from each side, took place at the Polish-Belarusian border. For Warsaw, the most crucial outcome was the release of Andrzej Poczobut, a prominent Polish-Belarusian journalist and activist who had been imprisoned in Belarus since 2021 on politically motivated charges. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk personally greeted Poczobut at the border, celebrating his newfound freedom.
The multi-country deal also involved the transfer of the wife of a Russian soldier stationed in Transnistria, who was exchanged alongside others for Moldovan citizens. Notably, the swap was brokered with the active assistance of the Trump administration. John Coale, the US Special Envoy for Belarus, confirmed Washington’s involvement, praising the diplomatic coordination that secured the release of Western allies.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office responded to the development by noting that while Poland had properly assessed and validated Ukraine’s extradition request, the final decision was dictated by international prisoner exchange agreements. Kyiv reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing legal action against those who plunder Ukrainian cultural heritage, emphasizing that international arrest warrants and legal mechanisms will remain active despite the diplomatic complexities of hostage diplomacy.