A Warsaw judge has ruled that Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin may be handed over to Ukraine to face criminal charges, a decision his team says it will challenge in appeal.
Judge Dariusz Łubowski's finding does not end the case — Poland's justice minister must make the final call on extradition if the ruling stands.
Butyagin, a senior researcher at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, was detained in Warsaw in December at Kyiv's request.
Ukrainian authorities accuse him of carrying out unauthorised digs and looting relics from Myrmekion, an ancient Greek site in Crimea.
Prosecutors say the alleged damage exceeds $4.5m and include some 30 gold coins.
If convicted of plundering cultural property, Butyagin faces up to five years behind bars.
The archaeologist has denied the charges.
Through his lawyer, Adam Domański, he argues he continued excavations to protect the site and says surrendering him to Ukraine would put his life and wellbeing at risk.
Russia has demanded his release and called the case politically motivated.
Since the 2022 invasion, some European courts have been reluctant to extradite Russian nationals to Ukraine, citing possible breaches of human rights obligations.
Ukraine's security service said it collected evidence in late 2024 that linked a senior Hermitage archaeologist to illegal digs and damage in occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian specialists have also criticised Russian-led work in the peninsula as harmful to local cultural heritage.
Butyagin had been travelling in Europe giving talks and was aware of a Kyiv arrest warrant issued in April 2025, yet he did not expect to be detained in the EU.
He remains in a Warsaw detention centre after a bid for bail was refused.
If the Polish justice minister approves extradition and appeals fail, the Russian scholar could be sent to Ukraine to face trial.
The case underscores tensions over cultural property and legal jurisdiction in territories seized since 2014.
