Ukraine has officially sent a request to Poland for the extradition of Russian archaeologist Oleksandr Butyagin. The employee of the State Hermitage Museum of the Russian Federation is suspected of conducting illegal excavations in the occupied territories of Crimea during 2014–2019. According to RMF24, the request has already been received by the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office, UNN reports.
Details
According to preliminary estimates, the activities of the Russian scientist caused Ukraine losses amounting to more than 200 million hryvnias. Butyagin was detained in Warsaw by officers of the Polish Internal Security Agency. Kyiv plans to bring official charges against him for violating monument protection rules and conducting illegal work on cultural heritage sites during the occupation of the peninsula.
Legal extradition procedure
Currently, Polish investigators have begun checking the formal compliance of the request with the provisions of the European Convention on Extradition of 1957. The prosecutor's office must assess whether Butyagin's actions constitute a crime under Polish law and whether there are grounds for refusing extradition, such as the existence of political asylum or the conduct of similar proceedings in Poland.
After the prosecutor's review is completed, the case will be transferred to court. The court will make the final decision on the possibility of extraditing the archaeologist to the Ukrainian side. If the extradition is approved, Oleksandr Butyagin will face Ukrainian justice for the looting and destruction of historical heritage in Crimea.
Recall
Butyagin was detained on December 4 by the Polish Internal Security Agency. The Russian is accused of "destroying cultural heritage sites in Crimea."