Should a top Russian archaeologist face trial for digging in occupied Crimea?

The case of a scholar wanted in Ukraine sparked a debate on the relationship between museums and the Russian state.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationWatch DocumentariesTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveShould a top Russian archaeologist face trial for digging in occupied Crimea?2 days agoShareSaveGrigor Atanesian & Investigations TeamBBC News RussianShareSavet.me/kotovayanoraA selfie taken by Alexander Butyagin earlier this year at an ancient site in CrimeaA Russian archaeologist detained in Poland is at the centre of an intense debate over the role of museums and experts and the role they play in Kremlin war propaganda.

Alexander Butyagin is under arrest in Warsaw, awaiting a Polish court decision on a request to extradite him to Ukraine.

Until now, courts across Europe have been reluctant to extradite Russians to Ukraine, citing the European Convention on Human Rights.

Butyagin's case has divided opinion.

A senior scholar at the Hermitage, Russia's largest art museum in St Petersburg, he has led the museum's expedition at the site of Myrmekion in Crimea since 1999, well before Russia's illegal landgrab of Ukraine's southern peninsula in 2014.