Ukraine Demands Extradition of Russian Archaeologist After Poland-Belarus Prisoner Swap

Five-for-Five Prisoner Exchange Between Poland and Belarus

According to Главком: In a five-for-five prisoner exchange, Poland and Belarus swapped detainees. Among those released from Polish custody was Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin. In return, Belarus freed journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who had been sentenced to eight years in a maximum-security penal colony. His conviction, handed down by the Grodno court in February 2023, was for inciting ethnic hatred-stemming from an article he wrote about the Soviet Union's 1939 invasion of Poland.

Diplomatic Talks and Fallout

The negotiations, which kicked off in September 2025, involved Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and intelligence agencies from seven countries. Butyagin and the wife of a Russian serviceman were traded for two Moldovan intelligence officers. Butyagin had traveled from the Netherlands, where he had been delivering a series of lectures, before his arrest sparked outrage in Russia and among the Russian diaspora.

Ukraine suspects Butyagin of illegally excavating a cultural heritage site in Kerch, located in occupied Crimea. The Warsaw District Court has approved his extradition to Ukraine, and an official extradition request was submitted in December 2025. Ukrainian authorities have already notified Butyagin of the charges against him and imposed sanctions that will remain in effect until 2035.

“One of the individuals we exchanged was a Russian historian who was in the process of being extradited to Ukraine.”

Radosław Sikorski

This prisoner swap underscores the region’s tangled geopolitical dynamics and the challenges countries face in balancing human rights with international policy. It may also signal a tentative effort to improve dialogue between Warsaw and Minsk despite ongoing tensions. At the same time, the case highlights the crucial role international agreements play in protecting individuals caught in complex legal predicaments.