Ukraine’s security service chases EU-based blogger

The State Securuty Service of Ukraine (SBU) served an
official notice of suspicion to EU resident Anatolii Sharii described by SBU as
a “Russian propagandist”. “Allegedly, he conducted subversive activity against
Ukraine in the information sphere,” SBU stated on its website. “There is reason
to believe that Anatolii Sharii acted on behalf of foreign security services.”

The notice of suspicion is a formal confirmation of
charges within criminal proceedings. SBU accused Sharii of treason and
violation of equality of citizens.  “In particular, the offender incited
national, racial or religious hatred, humiliation of national honor and
dignity, etc.”, the security service said.

Its experts established that the interviews and
speeches of Sharii have evidence of his subversive activities against Ukraine.
“Since 2012, via social networks, electronic media and Russian television
channels, Sharii has been assisting Russian state and non-governmental
structures in conducting special information operations,” SBU said. “In
particular, the propagandist discredited the state policy of Ukraine,
deliberately and purposefully disseminated manipulative, distorted information
about government initiatives and events in the East. The goal was to aggravate
and destabilize the socio-political and socio-economic situation, inciting
interethnic and interfaith conflicts.”

Yuri Svirko: While SBU
has every legitimate right to suspect people and serve them relevant notices,
this news creates more questions than answers. The obvious questions are: why
only Sharii and why only now? After the recently imposed sanctions against
Ukrainian MP Taras Kozak and his three TV channels in Ukraine, it would be more
logical to apply such a mechanism to Anatolii Sharii who is a permanent legal
resident, if not already a naturalized national, of the EU. Sharii fled Ukraine
in 2012, under President Viktor Yanukovych, and was granted political asylum in
the EU, residing afterwards in Lithuania, the Netherlands and now Spain.
Blaming him for discreditation of the state policy of Ukraine “since 2012” can
be politically risky for both SBU and President Volodymyr Zelensky, as this
period includes the presidential terms of Yanukovych and Poroshenko. Sharii has
already thanked SBU for “serving a notice via publishing a propagandist video”
since he would not need now to prove again in the EU that all cases against him
“are pure politics.” Moreover, he is still the leader of Sharii’s Party, his own
officially registered political party of Ukraine which has not been suspected
nor suspended. The party was 10th with 2.2% of votes in the parliamentary
elections of 2019 and, based on a recent poll of Kyiv International Institute
of Sociology, can become 7th with its current rating of 3.9%.

Therefore, the SBU’s recent move might lead to
growing concerns about freedom of speech in Ukraine and even beyond, since
Sharii resides in the EU.