Europe

Russia Detains Director of Ukrainian Library in Moscow

A bust of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko is displayed at the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow, Oct. 29, 2015. Russian officials detained Natalya Sharina, the library director, and are investigating whether she was guilty of inciting ethnic hatre

MOSCOW — 

Russian police detained the director of a Ukrainian library in Moscow on suspicion of inciting ethnic hatred.

The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement Thursday that it requested the arrest of Natalya Sharina, 58, director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature, after investigators found books and other materials in the library containing what they called "anti-Russian propaganda."

The Moscow-based library carries books in Russian and Ukrainian.

Investigators accuse Sharina of distributing the writings of Ukrainian activist Dmytro Korchynsky, whose works are banned in Russia.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry on Wednesday released a note of protest after the library was searched, saying, "This is not the first attempt by the Kremlin to put the labels of 'Russophobia' and 'extremism' on everything that's Ukrainian."

The Ukrainian statement also said, "These rude and unmotivated actions of the Russian authorities once again confirm the aggressive policy of Russia against Ukraine."

The Russian Investigative Committee -- Russia's main federal investigating authority - said the investigation is continuing.