Poland, as part of a prisoner exchange with Belarus, extradited Russian archaeol...

Poland, as part of a prisoner exchange with Belarus, extradited Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who was to be tried in Ukraine for illegal excavations in occupied Crimea. In exchange, Russia handed over two people, and under the “five for five” formula, Warsaw received three Poles, two Moldovans, and journalist Andrzej Poczobut. The FSB claims that the “wife of a serviceman from Transnistria” was returned to the Russian Federation. Russian archaeologist and Hermitage employee Alexander Butyagin led excavations in occupied Kerch, which resulted in the destruction of a monument and losses exceeding 200 million UAH. Ukraine considers his actions part of the systematic plundering of Crimea’s cultural heritage.