Butyagin told about his arrest by Polish special services

On April 30, Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin told a correspondent of Izvestia that upon arrival in Poland, he checked into a hotel, walked around the city, returned and went to bed, and in the morning, during breakfast, he was detained by two women who introduced themselves as employees of the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW).

"One spoke passable Russian, the other did not, and it turned out that they were a lieutenant colonel and a major of the ABW. Immediately, masked operatives flew in from somewhere, about eight people, probably. But there was nothing beautiful, they didn't run after me or put my face on the table, and after that they demanded to go to the room," the archaeologist shared.

According to him, after his arrest, Polish security service officers examined his room and belongings, then took him to the ABW office, where they made a detention report. The staff reported that the arrest occurred in connection with the accusations of Ukraine.

Butyagin said that he did not feel a direct shock during his detention because he understood the possibility of any situation. According to him, after being in Poland in the evening and at night, he thought that nothing was threatening him. The archaeologist tried to act as carefully and calmly as possible. He added that he was still shocked, but he did not lose his presence of mind.

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On the same day, Butyagin said that the Ukrainian authorities monitored his movements during trips around Europe. According to the scientist, Kiev sent requests to different countries where he lectured, but only the Polish authorities met Ukraine halfway.

During an exchange on April 28 involving Butyagin and the wife of a Russian serviceman on the Belarusian-Polish border, Russia extradited Moldovan intelligence officers. On the same day, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation showed footage of Moldovan intelligence officers who arrived in Russia in 2025 to carry out intelligence operations.

Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director General of the Hermitage, said that Butyagin, an archaeologist, would continue his scientific and educational activities at the museum after his release. The Hermitage also thanked the government, the diplomatic services and the scientific community for their assistance in his release.