Anatoly Shariy

Anatoly Anatoliiovych Shariy was born on 20 August 1978 in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he lived until 2012. He began his journalism career in early 2005, working for the online publication Obozrevatel.

Shariy became engaged to journalist Olga Bondarenko in 2013, and they married in 2017, having a child together. They co-manage the Sharij.net website.

In 2011, Shariy was involved in a controversial incident where he shot at a man in a McDonald's restaurant, claiming it was in defense of his wife. He later alleged that the case against him was politically motivated due to his investigative journalism.

Shariy faced multiple legal challenges related to his journalism, including accusations of staging an assassination attempt against himself and being targeted for his investigations into corruption in Ukrainian law enforcement.

In 2012, after being placed on an all-Ukrainian wanted list, Shariy sought political asylum in the European Union, asserting persecution by Ukrainian authorities due to his journalistic activities. He was granted asylum and later obtained permanent residency in Lithuania.

While residing in the EU, Shariy focused on creating content for his YouTube channel, where he criticized Ukrainian media and government actions post-Euromaidan, often in a derogatory manner.

Shariy's legal battles continued as he sued various individuals and media outlets for defamation, including a notable case against his sister and comments made by former President Petro Poroshenko.

In June 2019, Shariy established the Party of Shariy, which contested the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary elections, securing 2.23% of the vote. The party later gained representation in local councils during the 2020 elections.

However, amid the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine suspended the Party of Shariy in March 2022, citing alleged connections to Russia. The party was subsequently banned by a court ruling in September 2022.

In May 2022, Shariy was detained in Spain at the request of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on charges of treason but was released the same day with precautionary measures.

Shariy has characterized the War in Donbas as an 'internal conflict' and has denied the presence of Russian troops, labeling the situation as a civil war. He supports the notion that Ukraine is a 'western colony' under the influence of anti-Russian elements.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Shariy condemned the Ukrainian government for its handling of public opinion and media narratives, asserting that he does not hold a pro-Russian stance despite accusations to the contrary.