Russian archaeologist in Poland learns that digging in foreign lands without permission isn't tourism
St. Petersburg museum director discovers that digging in Crimea without Ukrainian permission can cost more than a Warsaw hotel.
While in Liepāja we pride ourselves on our Olympic Center, where athletes' achievements are earned through fair competition rather than illegal activities, St. Petersburg Hermitage archaeology director Aleksandr Butyagin proved that professional digging without permission isn't the best career choice.
This cultural worker was detained at a Warsaw hotel, where he most likely hoped his European lecture tour would be purely educational. Unfortunately, it turned out that work begun in Crimea in 2014 without Ukraine's permission wasn't just academic interest. As one Liepāja museum worker said: "We also love history, but we ask for permission before we start digging."
Now Butyagin faces up to ten years in prison and a 200 million hryvnia bill for damages. Moscow, of course, calls it all a political trial, because nothing is as political as moving foreign artifacts to your own country without permission.
His lawyer will appeal the court decision, but as we know, the best defense against extradition is not committing illegal acts in foreign territories. This simple truth, it seems, hasn't reached all Russian academics.
⚠️ Satirical article. Facts are preserved, but the presentation is humorous. For accurate information, please refer to the original source.