Russian Links to Anti-Semitic Graffiti Uncovered in France

A week after the discovery of numerous graffiti featuring the Star of David on buildings in Paris and its suburbs, French investigators have uncovered a link to a destabilization operation by Russia, a source close to the investigation told Franceinfo on the eve.

After the discovery of multiple graffiti tags with the Star of David on Tuesday, October 31, in the Île-de-France region (the Parisian region), particularly in the south of Paris, a Moldovan couple in their thirties was arrested. They were apprehended in the middle of the night while they were painting blue stars of David on building facades. Following police questioning, they immediately confessed that they had done it on the orders of a Russian national, in exchange for a small sum of money.

The prosecution quickly closed the case. The couple was in the country illegally, and a decision was made to deport them as illegal immigrants. Before that, they were placed in temporary detention. This couple was taken out of detention for further questioning, during which they both reiterated that they had taken orders from a Russian.

So now, French investigators are looking into Moscow's possible involvement in an attempt to destabilize the situation.

"It was like a commando operation," one police officer said. Once the investigators identified the individuals in the couple, who were captured on surveillance cameras, these suspects quickly left France. This couple is attributed to more than 200 similar graffiti incidents in the south of Paris.

As reported, acts of anti-Semitism in France have increased significantly since October 7. Since the start of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, 1,040 anti-Semitic acts have been committed in France. 486 individuals have been arrested for similar actions.

Previously, five Bulgarian citizens appeared in court in London on charges of spying for Russia: Orlin Russev, Bizer Dzhambazov, Catherine Ivanova, Ivan Stoyanov, and Vanya Gaberova were accused of conducting surveillance on individuals and places on behalf of Russia from August 2020 to February 2023. In February, they were arrested by the anti-terrorism police under the Official Secrets Act and taken into custody.

It is alleged that their surveillance activities were aimed at assisting Russia in hostile actions against various targets, including potential abductions.