OGP: Ukraine demanded the extradition of Russian archaeologist Butyagin
The Office of the Prosecutor General reported that Ukraine has consistently sought the extradition of Russian citizen Butyagin in order to bring him to criminal justice.
This was stated in a comment to Censor.NET by Mariana Gayovska-Kovbasyuk, head of the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The case concerns illegal archaeological work and the removal of cultural property from the temporarily occupied Crimea.
During the review of the request, the competent authorities of the Republic of Poland duly assessed the materials provided by the Ukrainian side and deemed them sufficient to resolve the issue of the person’s extradition to Ukraine.
The subsequent decision regarding Butyagin was made in the context of international agreements related to the exchange of detained persons.
"The Office of the Prosecutor General will continue to use all national and international mechanisms to hold this individual accountable for crimes committed against Ukraine and its cultural heritage," she added.
Poland exchanged Russian archaeologist Butyagin, who was awaiting extradition to Ukraine, for a journalist.
As a reminder, a court in Warsaw approved the extradition of Russian archaeologist Butyagin to Ukraine.
A Polish court will also consider the extradition to Ukraine of an archaeologist who helped the occupiers loot Crimea.
