The Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has launched legal proceedings against a Russian archaeologist accused of conducting unauthorized excavations at the ancient site of Panticapaeum, located near Mount Mithridates in the city of Kerch, Crimea.

According to an official statement published on the Prosecutor’s Office's Telegram channel, the suspect serves as the head of the Department of Ancient World Archaeology at the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin in Moscow. Since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, he has been leading a so-called "Bosporan Archaeological Expedition" and has carried out archaeological work in the region without the permission of Ukrainian authorities.

Expert assessments indicate that these unauthorized activities have caused damage to a cultural heritage site of national significance. The archaeologist is now facing criminal charges for conducting illegal research on protected archaeological territory. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.