The National Police in Spain has detained the journalist and blogger Anatoly Shari, who has been accused by the Ukrainian authorities of high treason. We can confirm from police sources that the arrest was made in response to an international arrest warrant.
Ukrainian law enforcement officers helped Spanish police detain Anatoly Shari. Ukrainian officers coordinated and worked together with Spanish officials. This is due to the close cooperation of international allies, who are following a special operation. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) explained this in a message collected by Ukrinform.
The Spanish police said that “he will be held accountable”. Spain and Ukraine also are cooperating in the effort to prevent international crime.
Shari violates two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Art. 111 (betrayal); and 161 (violation of equal rights for citizens, regardless of age, sex, religion, or nationality).
According to SBU, “carried out illegal activities to the detriment of the national security of Ukraine in the information sphere.” The investigation also indicates that Shari’s spreading disinformation to benefit Russia.
The evidence of the investigation is supported by a series of experts, who determined that Shari’s interviews and speeches contain evidence of his subversive activities against Ukraine. Last year, he was declared a suspect, according to the report.
In June 2019, Putin held his own party, nominating it to participate in the 2019 parliamentary elections. His party’s program advocated the annexation of Crimea to Russia. With a 2.23% vote share, they were able to secure as many seats in parliament as Russia’s SKP Party and the United Communist Party of Russia.
On February 22nd, Shariy was summoned to Ukraine as part of the investigation but did not show up. On February 25th, Shari and his lawyer were summoned to the SBU to familiarize themselves with the contents of the case against him. Shari, who has been living in exile in Europe since 2012 according to a Kyiv-based independent newspaper, also failed to show up and was put on the wanted list by Ukraine.
Escrash with Ukrainian flags
According to Diari de Tarragona, Shari has been living in a luxurious house near the sea since 2019. He has registered in Roda de Bera “a few months ago.” Prior to that, he lived for five years under political asylum conditions and after his visa expired, he left for Spain.
One day in March, a group of pro-Ukrainian protesters found Timur’s home and staged a terrorist attack outside his property. The incident was filmed and shared by Timur on Facebook. In the video he is shown confronting a group of protesters with Ukrainian flags, telling them that they have no right to be there.
The journalist, who also runs a news site and YouTube channel with 3 million subscribers, was banned in Ukraine for spreading “disinformation” that helped the Kremlin.
Our news department has been covering the war and its consequences for Europe. They’ve focused on investigating available information, reporting and explaining difficult circumstances, and verifying sources. In this period of confusion about what’s happening in Ukraine, our reporters have been deployed to key locations like Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova. The focus of this team is to tell you specific stories with background information on the economic and political implications they can foresee.
