Canarian Weekly
06-03-2015, 11:40
EIGHT Spaniards suspected of fighting alongside pro-Russian forces in the Ukraine conflict, have been detained by the National Police.
The arrests of the group, aged 20-30, took place in Asturias, Catalonia, Extremadura, Murcia, Navarre and Madrid.
Three suspects are former members of the Spanish armed forces, and one is confirmed to have been on the front-line, according to anti-terrorist sources.
The group, linked to several different communist organisations, had been supported by an unofficial pro-Russian European network.
The police operation was completed after three of the men returned to Spain during February – the last of them arriving last week.
Police sources have not stated whether Rafael Muñoz Pérez, 27, and Ángel Davilla-Rivas, 22, were among the detainees.
The pair were last year confirmed to have joined the Vostok Battalion, under the orders of Igor Strelkov, head of the Armed Forces of the People’s Republic of Donetsk.
The identification of the detainees was made simple because they often posted photos of themselves with military equipment on social networking sites.
The eight men are believed to have taken part in armed conflict in the Donbass region. They face charges of compromising the peace and interests of Spain, homicide, and possession of arms and explosives.
Another group of young Spaniards, also pro-Russian and linked to communist movements, are thought to be preparing to journey to Ukraine.
The operation is said to be similar to those taking place in other European countries, to prevent combatants travelling to war zones, and to dissuade those who might be considering such action.
Sources have confirmed that the international network, with which the Spanish detainees were working, has connections in Germany, Italy and France, among other countries.
Combatants have travelled from all of these countries to Ukraine, some of them via the so-called Ukraine Anti-Fascist Support Committee.
A Spanish group of youngsters, operating as “anti-capitalists”, told Europa Press news agency last September that they had gone to eastern Ukraine to fight alongside pro-Russian separatists, in order to combat the “resurgence of the Fourth Reich in Europe”.
They established the Carlos Palomino International Brigade, in honour of the anti-fascist Spanish youngster, who was stabbed to death by a neo-Nazi former soldier on the Madrid Metro.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/national-police-pounce-on-pro-russian-spanish-gang/)
The arrests of the group, aged 20-30, took place in Asturias, Catalonia, Extremadura, Murcia, Navarre and Madrid.
Three suspects are former members of the Spanish armed forces, and one is confirmed to have been on the front-line, according to anti-terrorist sources.
The group, linked to several different communist organisations, had been supported by an unofficial pro-Russian European network.
The police operation was completed after three of the men returned to Spain during February – the last of them arriving last week.
Police sources have not stated whether Rafael Muñoz Pérez, 27, and Ángel Davilla-Rivas, 22, were among the detainees.
The pair were last year confirmed to have joined the Vostok Battalion, under the orders of Igor Strelkov, head of the Armed Forces of the People’s Republic of Donetsk.
The identification of the detainees was made simple because they often posted photos of themselves with military equipment on social networking sites.
The eight men are believed to have taken part in armed conflict in the Donbass region. They face charges of compromising the peace and interests of Spain, homicide, and possession of arms and explosives.
Another group of young Spaniards, also pro-Russian and linked to communist movements, are thought to be preparing to journey to Ukraine.
The operation is said to be similar to those taking place in other European countries, to prevent combatants travelling to war zones, and to dissuade those who might be considering such action.
Sources have confirmed that the international network, with which the Spanish detainees were working, has connections in Germany, Italy and France, among other countries.
Combatants have travelled from all of these countries to Ukraine, some of them via the so-called Ukraine Anti-Fascist Support Committee.
A Spanish group of youngsters, operating as “anti-capitalists”, told Europa Press news agency last September that they had gone to eastern Ukraine to fight alongside pro-Russian separatists, in order to combat the “resurgence of the Fourth Reich in Europe”.
They established the Carlos Palomino International Brigade, in honour of the anti-fascist Spanish youngster, who was stabbed to death by a neo-Nazi former soldier on the Madrid Metro.
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/national-police-pounce-on-pro-russian-spanish-gang/)