Russia’s Hermitage Museum Suspends Archaeological Expeditions in Crimea, Citing Fuel Shortage
Russia’s State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has suspended all archaeological expeditions in annexed Crimea, citing a severe fuel shortage and security conditions amid continued Ukrainian attacks, according to the Moscow Times. Alexander Butyagin, head of the Hermitage archaeology department, told TASS on Monday that expeditions are postponed “until the situation improves,” and reports said a Crimea expedition he was set to lead was relocated to Russia’s Krasnodar region. Butyagin has been accused by Ukrainian prosecutors of unauthorized excavations at the ancient site of Myrmekion after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea; he was detained in Poland in December 2025 on a Ukrainian extradition request, which a Warsaw court deemed legally admissible in March before an appeal paused the process. Poland later released him in a US-brokered prisoner exchange involving Belarus and Russia, and Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence added him to its “War and Sanctions” registry in February 2025, alleging an expedition removed 30 gold coins (including 26 bearing the name of Alexander the Great) and damaged the site—claims Russia has rejected.
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This story was covered in Strikes, Restitution, and AI Unlocking the Past