A Paris court has sentenced four Bulgarian nationals to prison terms ranging from two to four years for vandalizing the city’s Holocaust Memorial in an incident French intelligence linked to a Russian destabilization campaign.
According to court officials, Georgi Filipov and Kiril Milushev each received two-year prison sentences after admitting to spray-painting red handprints on the memorial, while Nikolay Ivanov was sentenced to four years for recruiting them. The alleged ringleader, Mircho Angelov, who remains at large, was given a three-year sentence in absentia.
Investigators said around 500 red handprints were painted last year on the Wall of the Righteous — which honors those who saved Jews during World War II — and nearby areas in Paris. Initially seen as related to tensions over the war in Gaza, the vandalism was later tied to a broader Russian operation using paid agents to sow division and misinformation across Europe.
Court documents described the act as part of a “foreign interference aimed at dividing French society,” though the judges noted it did not diminish the defendants’ personal responsibility. Plaintiffs included the Paris Holocaust Memorial and the League Against Racism and Antisemitism.
During the trial, Filipov and Milushev said they were paid by Angelov to carry out the graffiti and record it on video. Ivanov, however, denied direct involvement, saying he only arranged their travel and accommodation in Paris at Angelov’s request.
The red-hand graffiti case is among several similar incidents in France believed to be linked to Russian interference. In October 2023, blue Stars of David were stenciled on Paris buildings, and two Moldovans were deported after being accused of spreading antisemitic messages.
In June 2024, five coffins bearing references to Ukraine were found near the Eiffel Tower ahead of a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Authorities later issued warrants for three men of Bulgarian, German, and Ukrainian origin.
More recently, severed pigs’ heads were discovered near several Paris-area mosques, some marked with President Emmanuel Macron’s name, prompting another ongoing investigation.