Moscow summons Polish envoy over detention of Russian scholar
Russia on Tuesday summoned Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Krajewski after Warsaw detained a Russian scholar wanted by Ukraine over alleged unauthorised archaeological excavations in annexed Crimea and signalled it may extradite him to Kyiv.
"The Russian Federation demands the immediate release of the Russian citizen and that he not be handed over to the Kyiv regime's punitive machine, which has no resemblance to justice," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The move prompted a reaction from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose spokesperson, Maciej Wiewior, said on Tuesday that Warsaw was reviewing the situation "in accordance with applicable procedures." He refrained from detailing what those procedures involve or offering additional information.
The events came weeks after Polish authorities detained Alexander B. in mid-December at Kyiv's request for international legal assistance. Ukraine accuses him of carrying out illegal excavations and destroying objects of Crimean cultural heritage between 2014 and 2019, estimating the losses at around UAH 200 million (EUR 4 mln).
Alexander B., whose surname is withheld under Polish law, is an employee of the St. Petersburg-based Hermitage Museum. A Warsaw court ruled on Monday that he will remain in custody until March 4. Ukraine formally submitted an extradition request in late December, which the court is due to consider on January 15.
"During his work, A.M. Butyagin (the now-detained Russian archaeologist - PAP) obtained all the necessary permits from the relevant competent bodies, including Ukrainian authorities before 2014," the foreign ministry wrote, adding that he had transferred all his finds to the Hermitage Museum.
Russia's ministry said the allegations were "absurd," "frankly politicised" and "speculative in nature."
Polish media reported in December that Alexander B. was detained while transiting through Warsaw en route from the Netherlands to the Balkans, where he was travelling to deliver lectures. (PAP)
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