Spanish police arrest Ukrainian blogger sought by Kyiv for treason charges

Madrid/Kyiv, May 5 (EFE).- Spanish police said on Thursday they had detained Ukrainian blogger Anatoly Shariy following an international arrest warrant issued by Kyiv for charges including treason.

The Ukrainian national was arrested Wednesday in Roda de Berà, near Tarragona, in the Catalonia region, and is set to appear before a National Court judge, who will decide on Ukraine’s extradition request, Spanish police told Efe.

Ukraine’s state security services (SBU), describing Shariy as a pro-Russian blogger, a term he refuses, said in a statement Thursday that its investigators had accused him of acting against the country’s national security.

“There is reason to believe that Anatoly Shariy acted on behalf of foreign structures,” it added.

According to the SBU, Shariy faces charges of treason and inciting discrimination.

The blogger has nearly 2.5 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

He was granted political asylum by Lithuania in 2012, which permitted him to move to Spain. EFE

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