Foreign perpetrators detained in Paris, authors of ‘coffins of French soldiers’ operation

On June 7, in Paris, three Moldovan citizens painted images of coffins with the inscription “French soldiers in Ukraine” on the walls. The French police detained them, according to the French TV channel BFMTV.

Law enforcement officers have located three Moldovan citizens as a result of an investigation conducted after the discovery of drawings on the walls in the 7th arrondissement of Paris the night before, which depicted coffins with the inscription “Soldats français en Ukraine,” which translates as “French soldiers in Ukraine.”

During the arrest, the perpetrators were carrying latex gloves, spray paint cans, and stencils that matched the inscriptions.

According to a police source contacted by BFMTV, “the suspicions concern a new possible foreign interference.” An investigation has been opened to “determine their motives” and see if they are linked to previous potential cases of foreign interference in France.

They are currently being held in custody in the territorial prison.

The perpetrators claimed responsibility for the action, pointing to similar graffiti elsewhere in Paris.

“This action was a response to the inappropriate actions of the French authorities towards our activists who laid coffins near the Eiffel Tower,” they explained.

These graffitis seem to be a foreign psychological operation, in support of Russian narratives, aimed against French President Macron’s statement about a potential deployment of French military instructors to Ukraine to support the Ukrainian military in their fight with Russian invading troops.

On the morning of Saturday, June 1, in Paris, perpetrators placed five coffins covered with French flags at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with the inscription “French soldiers from Ukraine,” Le Parisien reported.

According to police sources, “the driver of the van used to transport the cargo was apprehended in the vicinity, thanks to the rapid deployment of police.” He indicated that he had been paid 40 euros to transport the cargo and accompanying people. He had arrived from Bulgaria the previous night.

The other two suspects managed to escape. But the police think they have found them at the Gare Routière de Bercy. The Bac of the 12th arrondissement arrested two men who were about to take a bus to Berlin. According to our information, the three suspects are Bulgarian, Ukrainian, and German.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office has not yet confirmed this. But recent attempts to destabilize the Kremlin are still fresh in people’s minds.

• On May 30, it was reported that France might announce that it would send military instructors to Ukraine next week during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the country.
• Later, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to create a coalition of states that would be willing to send military instructors to train soldiers in Ukraine.
• France also said that since Ukraine had not initially received restrictions on the use of its Storm Shadow missiles, it could fire them at Russian territory.