SPANISH police arrested eight Spaniards yesterday who they said had returned from fighting alongside independence forces in eastern Ukraine.

Officers detained the eight suspects in six regions across Spain, the interior ministry said. 

A source who insisted on anonymity described them as “pro-Russian” and far left.

“Eight Spanish combatants have been arrested who had returned from Ukraine after taking part in the conflict in the Donbas region, in which they are accused of various crimes,” the government statement said.

A source close to the investigation said charges could include possession of weapons of war, complicity in homicide and violating Spain’s neutrality.

The source said the Spanish suspects had been inspired by the International Brigades who fought against Francisco Franco’s uprising in Spain’s civil war.

The source quoted a web posting by a left-wing group invoking the example of the brigades and urging supporters to go to Ukraine to fight against “the cancer of fascism.”