Three Bulgarian men have been sentenced to prison in France for acts of vandalism that French authorities allege are part of a broader hybrid warfare campaign. The charges connect the incidents to efforts to destabilize France. The men were tried for actions including spray-painting a Holocaust memorial in Paris.
Trial Proceedings and Sentencing
Georgi Filipov, Nikolay Ivanov, and Kiril Milushev received prison sentences ranging from two to four years following a three-day trial in Paris.
The men admitted to committing the acts of vandalism during their testimony. However, they denied accusations of working for a foreign power and denied any antisemitic motivations. Statements attributed to the men during the trial included, "I had absolutely no idea where we were" and "I did it for the money."
Vandalism Incidents
In May 2024, the three men were involved in an incident on the banks of the River Seine in Paris, where red paint was sprayed on the Wall of the Righteous. This monument commemorates individuals who saved French Jews during World War Two. The men filmed themselves during the act, which left 35 red handprints on the Shoah memorial and an additional 500 painted elsewhere.
This event was identified as one in a series of similar incidents across France, which include:
- Pigs' heads being placed outside mosques, an act attributed to a group of Serbians.
- Coffins being left near the Eiffel Tower.
- Stars of David being painted in various locations throughout the capital.
Allegations of Hybrid Warfare Involvement
A French agency monitoring such activity has stated that reports of these incidents have been widely broadcast globally, including by Russian social media accounts. This agency alleges that these accounts aim to use such news to generate doubt about the stability of French society and the robustness of European democracies, institutions, and values.
French authorities consider France a particular target for such campaigns, citing its existing political and social divisions, its position regarding NATO, its significant Muslim and Jewish populations, the rising popularity of the far-right, and historical ties to Moscow across various political spectrums.