Potyagin is an archaeologist who has conducted excavations in Crimea for many years. In December 2025, he was arrested in Poland at the request of Ukraine, which considered his work after 2014 illegal and accused him of destroying a cultural heritage site. On April 28, Potyagin was released as part of a prisoner exchange.
This text is an abridged account of the archaeologist’s first interview after his release, which he gave to the propaganda television channel RT. The first-person statements have been edited to provide cohesion to the text. Its meaning and context are fully preserved.