Poland arrests Russian archaeologist wanted in Ukraine

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete December 11, 2025 at 02:41 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Polish authorities have arrested Aleksandr B, a Russian archaeologist from the Hermitage Museum, at the request of Ukraine. He is accused of conducting illegal excavations and partially destroying the ancient city of Myrmekion in Crimea between 2014 and 2019, causing an estimated $4.77 million in damages. The arrest occurred in Poland on December 4th, and the Warsaw District Court has ordered him detained for 40 days while extradition proceedings take place. Russia has condemned the arrest, identifying the man as Alexander Butyagin and vowing to protect his interests. Ukraine alleges he conducted unauthorized searches and excavations at the archaeological site following Russia's occupation of Crimea in 2014.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Hermitage Museum 30% Dmitry Peskov 30% Piotr Skiba 50% Russia ×250% Myrmekion ×250% Poland ×280% Alexander Butyagin ×280% Ukraine ×380% Aleksandr B ×4100%

Keywords

illegal excavations 90% archaeology 80% extradition request 70% cultural heritage 70% crimea 60% myrmekion 60% russian academic 50% arrest 50% hermitage museum 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Poland

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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illegal excavations archaeology extradition request cultural heritage crimea myrmekion russian academic arrest hermitage museum

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