Belarus releases 5 Polish, Moldovan nationals at border in US-brokered prisoner swap
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Five detainees — including three Polish nationals, among them journalist Andrzej Poczobut, and two Moldovan citizens — were released in a U.S.-facilitated five-for-five exchange at the Polish-Belarusian border, U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale said on April 28.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said that, as part of the exchange, Poland released Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who had been detained over illegal excavations in occupied Crimea.
Butyagin, who had been traveling through Poland after delivering a lecture in the Netherlands, was arrested in mid-December at Ukraine's request. Ukrainian authorities say that his excavations caused Ukraine damages exceeding 200 million hryvnias ($4.5 million).
A Polish court earlier approved Butyagin's extradition to Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the exchange.
"We thank Poland, Moldova, and Romania for their invaluable support in this effort, as well as President Lukashenko's willingness to pursue constructive engagement with the U.S.," Coale said.
The exchange appears to be one of the first publicly known swaps of its kind between the sides. Coale has previously facilitated the release of more than 500 political prisoners in Belarus.
Poczobut, a journalist and activist representing Belarus's Polish minority, was detained in 2021 during a broader crackdown by the Belarusian government on independent media and minority groups following the mass anti-government protests of 2020.
He spent more than 1,800 days in detention under Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's regime.
"The exchange at the Polish-Belarusian border is the finale of a two-year-long intricate diplomatic game, full of dramatic twists," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"It succeeded thanks to the outstanding work of our services, diplomats, and prosecutors, as well as the tremendous help from our American, Romanian, and Moldovan friends."
