A judge in Poland has ruled that Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin can be extradited to Ukraine, although his defence says he will appeal.
Butyagin is being held in a Warsaw prison for allegedly conducting illegal excavations and plundering artefacts from the ancient city of Myrmekion in Crimea - Ukraine's peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
If Judge Dariusz Łubowski's ruling is upheld, a final decision on extradition will rest with Poland's justice minister.
Butyagin - arrested in Poland at Ukraine's request in December - denies all the allegations. If convicted, he faces up to five years in jail. Russia has demanded his immediate release, saying the case is politically motivated.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European courts in several instances have refused to extradite Russians to Ukraine, citing the possible risk of violations to the European Convention on Human Rights.
The archaeologist's life and wellbeing would be at risk if he were extradited to Ukraine, Butyagin's lawyer Adam Domański has said.
A senior scholar at the Hermitage, Russia's largest art museum in St Petersburg, Butyagin has overseen excavations of Myrmekion since 1999, initially with Ukraine's authorization. However, his work continued without Kyiv's consent following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Butyagin could face up to five years in prison if found guilty of plundering artefacts, including 30 gold coins, with damages estimated over $4.5 million (£3.4 million).
Prior to his arrest in Warsaw, Butyagin had traveled in Europe giving talks to Russian-speaking audiences, aware of a Kyiv court's warrant for his arrest issued in April 2025. He argued that ceasing his work would harm the archaeological site by leaving it unprotected from natural degradation and vandalism.
However, Ukrainian officials argue that Russian excavations in Crimea are illegal under international laws protecting cultural heritage during armed conflict, and that Butyagin's work has threatened Ukraine's cultural legacy.
The outcome of the extradition process remains uncertain as appeals and political negotiations unfold.
