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PARIS: French authorities have arrested three people on suspicion of spying for Russia and promoting pro-Kremlin war propaganda, prosecutors said on Tuesday (Nov 25), as concerns grow across Europe about Moscow’s interference efforts.

Investigators said the arrests were linked to activities involving a French-Russian association known as SOS Donbass.

One of the suspects, a 40-year-old Russian man, was captured on surveillance cameras in September putting up pro-Russia posters on the Arc de Triomphe. According to prosecutors, he later phoned the 40-year-old head of SOS Donbass, a woman born in Russia who is suspected of attempting to obtain economic information from executives at French companies.

ALLEGED PROPAGANDA OPERATION

The woman had been monitored by France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, since early this year. Officials said the DGSI detected actions “likely to harm the fundamental interests of the nation,” prompting a judge in March to open a formal investigation into suspected collusion with a foreign power, an offence that carries up to 10 years in prison.

SOS Donbass publicly presents itself as a humanitarian organisation supporting civilians in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, parts of which are under Russian control.

COUNTER-ESPIONAGE PROBE WIDENS

The third person arrested is a 63-year-old man from Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris. A fourth suspect, aged 58, was not placed in pre-trial detention but is under strict judicial supervision and must report to police once a week.

The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of Russian intelligence activity across Europe, as Western governments warn of stepped-up covert operations, influence campaigns and sabotage linked to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.