Kremlin to aid Russian archaeologist arrested in Poland, Reuters reports
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said Russia will take all necessary steps to assist a Russian archaeologist arrested in Poland at the request of Ukrainian authorities, the Reuters news agency has reported.
On Wednesday, a Polish court approved the extradition of Alexander Butyagin, a prominent Russian scholar accused by Ukraine of damaging cultural heritage sites during archaeological work in Russian-occupied territories.
Peskov said that it was obvious the Polish court harboured pro-Ukrainian sympathies and reassured that Russian authorities would take all measures to protect Butyagin's legitimate interests, according to Reuters.
On Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the Polish court's decision lacked a legal foundation.
Butyagin, the head of the ancient archaeology section at Russia's State Hermitage Museum, was detained by Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) on December 4, following a request from Kyiv for international legal assistance.
The Polish court's decision to approve his extradition is not final, and Butyagin's lawyer has announced plans to appeal. If convicted in Ukraine, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine.
Ukraine has been seeking Butyagin since November, alleging that he oversaw years of unauthorised excavations at the ancient city of Myrmekion in Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014. He is accused of plundering and destroying objects of cultural heritage, with Kyiv estimating the damage at UAH 200 million (EUR 4.1 million).
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised the Warsaw court decision, the Ukrinform news agency reported on Wednesday afternoon.
Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said, as quoted by Ukrinform: "We positively assess this decision of the Polish court, while acknowledging that further procedural stages will still follow in Poland. The matter is now in the hands of the Polish justice system.
"As for what awaits him in Ukraine, law enforcement authorities handling the case are better placed to say," Tykhyi added. (PAP)
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