The Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol has notified a Russian archaeologist of suspicion over unauthorized archaeological activities on a Ukrainian cultural heritage site in occupied Crimea.

The head of the archaeology sector at the federal institution State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg has been supervising excavations since 2014 at the Ukrainian archaeological site Ancient City of Myrmekion in the Kerch area. According to experts, these activities have caused Ukraine damages exceeding 200 million hryvnias.

Without obtaining any permits from the competent Ukrainian authorities, Russian archaeologists conducted unauthorized excavations on the Ukrainian cultural heritage site in Crimea for ten years. As a result, they removed the so-called cultural layer up to nearly two meters deep, effectively destroying the protected site.

Law enforcement authorities in Crimea have issued a notice of suspicion in absentia to the archaeologist under Article 298, Part 4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

This activity represents a blatant violation of international law, including provisions that prohibit occupying regimes from altering the cultural landscape of occupied territories. Furthermore, archaeology in Crimea is often misused as a tool of propaganda to justify the occupation. 

The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, in collaboration with the NGO “Regional Center for Human Rights,” prepared informational materials, referred the matter to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for action, and initiated the inclusion of Butiahin and other archaeologists in sanctions lists.  

We reiterate that Crimea is Ukraine, and the fight to regain control over the peninsula continues on all fronts—diplomatic, legal, and informational.

The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea calls on the international community to address yet another crime committed by the occupiers and their accomplices. We will continue to actively pursue justice for Ukraine and its citizens.