French intelligence links Holocaust memorial vandalism to alleged Russian hybrid campaign
French intelligence suspects that blood-red hands painted on a Holocaust memorial in Paris last year are part of a Russian destabilization campaign, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Oct. 30, citing court documents.
Three Bulgarians charged in the act have been brought to trial, while the fourth one — the alleged organizer of the group, Mircho Angelov — continues to evade custody.
The news comes as Western officials raise alarm over escalating Moscow-backed hybrid operations, sabotage, and espionage across Europe.
Some 500 red hands were painted on the Wall of the Righteous last year, a memorial honoring people who aided Jews during the Nazi occupation. The incident was seen at the time in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The case came amid several such incidents that took place in France in the past two years, including pig heads left at mosques or Stars of David painted on buildings, seen as an attempt to fuel tensions between local Jewish and Muslim communities.
Confidential notes by French domestic intelligence, partly cited during the court hearing this week, read that two of the suspects "received instructions in Russian from unknown individuals via the encrypted messaging app Telegram," Politico reported.
According to the documents, the act aligns with the modus operandi of hybrid operations, where individuals are hired by foreign intelligence services for specific tasks.
One of the three detained suspects, Nikolay Ivanov, is considered a key organizer alongside Angelov. Ivanov was born in Ukraine's Donbas region and was reportedly a member of a Russian paramilitary group.
The two others, Georgi Filipov and Kiril Milushev, are said to be Angelov's acquaintances who were offered money for carrying out the tasks.
Milushev claimed that he was only hired to film the operation after he had already arrived in Paris.
Filipov, who sports neo-Nazi tattoos, confessed to vandalizing the Holocaust memorial with Angelov and carrying out similar operations, claiming he needed money for child support.
Cases of vandalism and sabotage in Europe have surged since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and European nations threw their support behind Kyiv.
Last month, two Ukrainian nationals were detained in Romania and one in Poland in connection with a suspected sabotage plot in Bucharest orchestrated by Russian intelligence.
