Paris Under Spy Probe: Trio Arrested for Alleged Russian Espionage and Propaganda Activities

French officials announced on Tuesday that they have detained three individuals on charges of espionage for Russia and efforts to advance its war propaganda.

These arrests are part of an investigation into the French-Russian group SOS Donbass, amid rising concerns regarding potential Russian interference across Europe stemming from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

One of the individuals apprehended is a 40-year-old man from Russia, who was captured on surveillance video in September putting up pro-Russian posters on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, according to the city’s prosecutor’s office.

Following this, he contacted the leader of SOS Donbass, a 40-year-old woman suspected by French counter-intelligence of attempting to gather financial details from French business leaders.

This woman, originally from Russia, had come under the scrutiny of France’s domestic intelligence agency, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), since at least the start of the year.

The DGSI identified «activities potentially harmful to the nation’s fundamental interests» linked to her, leading to the appointment of an investigation judge in March to explore various alleged crimes, including «collusion with a foreign power,» which carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison.

SOS Donbass claims to operate as a humanitarian group providing assistance to civilians in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, which is partially controlled by Moscow.

The third detainee is a 63-year-old man from the northern Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis.

A fourth suspect, aged 58, has been released from pre-trial detention but is subject to strict monitoring and must report to a police station weekly.