The arrest and extradition to Cyprus of Ioanna Fotiou, 43, from Paphos, appears to be a difficult to nearly impossible undertaking, despite the European and international arrest warrants issued against her.
Fotiou, known on social media as “Annie Alexui,” claims through accounts bearing that name that she is currently in Russia, specifically in Moscow. To support her claim, she has posted videos from well-known landmarks of the Russian capital, including Red Square.
How feasible is the arrest and extradition of “Annie” to Cyprus if she is indeed in Russia?
A competent source speaking to Politis stressed that the likelihood of Russian law enforcement authorities executing the arrest warrant is remote. As explained, this is linked to the stance of the Republic of Cyprus towards Russia following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the fact that cooperation between the two countries no longer exists.
This factor, combined with the fugitive’s own claim that she was granted political asylum in September 2025 after alleging that her life was in danger in Cyprus, renders her arrest impossible under current circumstances. It is nevertheless worth noting that the Republic’s competent state authorities do not confirm whether “Annie” has in fact secured political asylum in Russia.
According to the Police announcement, Ioanna Fotiou is wanted to facilitate investigations into offences relating to the Law on the Processing of Personal Data, the publication of false news, and harassment, allegedly committed between January and October 2025 in Paphos and Limassol. A total of 13 arrest warrants are pending against her.
Why now?
Following the Police announcement, a key question remains unanswered: why now? Why was it announced at this point that she is wanted, given that additional warrants were already pending against her?
In her posts, mainly on TikTok and Facebook, the 43-year-old frequently refers to issues related to the underworld, criminal activity, alleged corruption cases and other serious offences. In these posts, she names various individuals, including state officials and police officers.
It is recalled that Fotiou herself told P that “due to personal threats and fear for her life, she initially travelled to England and subsequently to Russia, where she applied for political asylum.” She also stated that “the reason I am in Russia is because there is no cooperation with the Cyprus Police.”
Diplaros denies involvement
Regarding reports suggesting that one of the individuals who filed a complaint against Ioanna Fotiou was DISY MP Efthymios Diplaros, Diplaros denied the claims through a public post.
“I state in the most categorical manner that the reference to my name in the specific publication is entirely incorrect and does not correspond to reality,” he said, clarifying that “I have not filed any complaint or taken any action whatsoever against the specific woman.”
This article was originally published in Politis Newspaper.