Spain opens criminal case against pro-Russian blogger Anatoliy Shariy and his wife
Spanish authorities have opened a criminal case against Ukrainian-born pro-Russian blogger Anatoliy Shariy and his wife Olga Bondarenko, suspecting them of tax evasion, money laundering, document forgery, concealment of assets, and possible work for Russian intelligence services. The investigation was launched after a request for international legal assistance from Ukraine, and Spanish investigators searched the couple's residence in June 2026, seizing phones, computers, a Glock 19 pistol, cryptocurrency, gold bars, and luxury items.
Key points
- Shariy and Bondarenko are suspected of tax evasion, money laundering, document forgery, and concealment of assets; the case was opened after a Ukrainian request for international legal assistance.
- The couple have been tax residents of Spain since 2016; tax experts estimate possible unpaid taxes of 150,875 euros for 2018 and 387,646 euros for 2022, totaling roughly 538,500 euros.
- For 2019–2021, investigators identified accounts in Lithuania and Russia, P2P payments from Russia and Luxembourg, cryptocurrency, transfers from individuals in Kazakhstan, and online platform income.
- Spanish authorities are probing a theory — not a court-established fact — that part of the funds may be linked to Shariy's activities on behalf of Russian intelligence services against Ukraine.
- After learning of the investigation, the couple sold their main Spanish asset, a house in Tarragona province, and allegedly redirected proceeds to jewelry and precious metals to hinder potential seizure.
- During a June 2026 search, law enforcement seized phones, computers, a Glock 19 pistol, approximately 800,000 euros in cryptocurrency, 20 gold bars worth around 150,000 euros, artworks, watches, luxury items worth about 400,000 euros, and a Porsche Cayenne; the court ordered seizure of the jewelry, precious metals, artworks, and cryptocurrency.
- The case is handled by Investigating Court No. 5 in El Vendrell, the Civil Guard's Information Group in Tarragona, the Tarragona provincial prosecution, and Spain's Tax Agency; possible fines could reach about 10.7 million euros.
Why it matters
Shariy is a prominent pro-Russian blogger who has been under Ukrainian investigation since 2021 for alleged cooperation with Russian intelligence against Ukraine. A criminal case in Spain, initiated in part on a Ukrainian legal-assistance request, puts that long-running Ukrainian inquiry into a European judicial context and exposes the financial footprint of one of the most visible pro-Russian media figures in the post-Soviet information space.
What happened
Spanish authorities opened a criminal case against Anatoliy Shariy and his wife Olga Bondarenko, both tax residents of Spain since 2016, on suspicion of tax evasion, money laundering, document forgery, and concealment of assets. The case was launched after Ukraine submitted a request for international legal assistance, and is being handled independently by Spanish institutions — Investigating Court No. 5 in El Vendrell, the Civil Guard's Information Group in Tarragona, the Tarragona provincial prosecution, and Spain's Tax Agency.
Tax experts assisting the court estimated possible unpaid taxes of 150,875.33 euros for 2018 and 387,645.68 euros for 2022, totaling roughly 538,500 euros. A February 2026 report suggested the couple could face fines of about 10.7 million euros. For 2019–2021, investigators identified additional income sources and foreign economic ties, including accounts in Lithuania and Russia, P2P payments from Russia and Luxembourg, cryptocurrency, transfers from individuals in Kazakhstan, and income from online platforms; they said some transactions show money-laundering risk indicators.
Spanish investigators conducted external surveillance of the couple and sent mutual legal-assistance requests to Lithuania, Poland, Luxembourg, France, and Ukraine. They are also probing a theory — explicitly described as investigative, not a court-established fact — that part of the funds may be linked to Shariy's activities on behalf of Russian intelligence services against Ukraine. A Civil Guard report dated 12 June 2025 flagged possible crimes against the state treasury, money laundering, and document forgery; concealment of assets from seizure was later added to the list of suspected offences.
After learning of the investigation, Shariy and Bondarenko sold their main Spanish asset — a house in Tarragona province — and, according to investigators, directed the proceeds toward purchasing jewelry and precious metals to hinder potential seizure. The case was classified from 2024 until June 2026, when searches were carried out. During the search, law enforcement seized phones and computers, found a Glock 19 pistol, and recovered approximately 800,000 euros in cryptocurrency, 20 gold bars worth around 150,000 euros, artworks, watches and luxury items totaling about 400,000 euros, and a Porsche Cayenne. The court ordered the seizure of the jewelry, precious metals, artworks, and cryptocurrency. A first court hearing to interrogate the couple as defendants was postponed due to technical problems; the interrogation is planned via video conference.
Background
In February 2021, the SBU notified Shariy of suspicion of state treason. According to Ukrainian law enforcement, since 2012 he had assisted Russian state and non-state structures in conducting information operations against Ukraine — allegations he denies. In 2021, a Ukrainian court seized real estate in Spain linked to Shariy, including a villa in Tarragona, as well as bank accounts at CaixaBank (Spain), Raiffeisen Bank (Russia), and East-West United Bank (Luxembourg). In May 2022, Shariy was detained in Spain.