Russian archaeologist Alexandr Butyagin and his wife were exchanged for career officers of the Moldovan intelligence service.
The exchange took place at the Poland-Belarus border, according to the Telegram channel “Lawyer for Alexandr Butyagin” and the Russian Federal Security Service website.
The parties carried out the exchange on a “five-for-five” basis. The security services of seven countries coordinated the negotiations and prepared for this process over a long period of time.
The Polish side also received Belarusian journalist Andrei Pochobut, who is of Polish origin and had been in custody since 2021.
Polish security services detained Butyagin on December 4, 2025, in Warsaw, while he was in transit from the Netherlands to a Balkan country.
He was arrested at the request of Ukrainian law enforcement for conducting illegal excavations in occupied Crimea.
The Hermitage employee is accused of destroying the cultural layer of the ancient settlement of Mirmekii in Kerch, causing the state losses exceeding UAH 200 million.