The Hermitage Museum will continue to assist archaeologist Butyagin through diplomatic channels.

The Hermitage continues to provide diplomatic and legal assistance to its employee, archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who was detained in Poland. This was announced on January 12 by the museum's press service.

"The Hermitage continues to work to assist Alexander Butyagin through diplomatic channels and is in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Russian Embassy in Poland and colleagues from the museum community," the Telegram channel said.

The press service noted that in December 2025, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director General of the Hermitage Museum, sent letters to Waldemar Zurek, Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General of Poland, as well as to his European colleagues, pointing out the possible negative consequences of this situation for international archaeological and museum cooperation in the future.

They're digging under themselves: what will the arrest of a Russian archaeologist mean for Warsaw

And how did the Russian Federation react to the arbitrariness of the Polish authorities?

On the same day, a journalist from Izvestia reported that the Warsaw District Court had decided to extend his arrest after the hearing on Butyagin's case. It is specified that the arrest of the Russian was extended until March 4. In addition, the archaeologist was granted a Polish residence permit.

Butyagin's detention in Poland became known on December 11. The Ukrainian authorities were looking for him for allegedly illegal archaeological research in Crimea. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out that the incident was a legal outrage. He stressed that the Russian side would seek the scientist's release.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.