French сourt сonvicts four Bulgarians for desecrating Holocaust Memorial in Russian-ordered operation

French Court Convicts Four Bulgarians for Holocaust Memorial Vandalism

The Paris Criminal Court sentenced four Bulgarian nationals for their role in the 2024 desecration of the Holocaust Memorial in Paris. This act was identified as part of a Russian interference operation.

Sentencing Details

Georgi Filipov and Kiril Milushev, who confessed their participation, received two-year prison terms.
Nikolay Ivanov, accused of recruiting the others, was sentenced to four years.
Mircho Angelov, the alleged ringleader, evaded arrest and was sentenced in absentia to three years.
All four were permanently banned from entering France.

Russian-Linked Vandalism Operation

French intelligence linked the "Red Hands" graffiti on the memorial to a Russian campaign aimed at destabilizing French society through paid intermediaries.

“Four Bulgarians were sentenced to between two and four years in prison for their involvement in spray-painting blood-red hands on Paris’ Holocaust Memorial in an act of vandalism that French intelligence services linked to a destabilization campaign by Russia.”

The court emphasized that “foreign interference aimed at dividing the French society, but that does not in any manner alleviate individual responsibility.”

Context and Court Findings

The French authorities concluded that these acts sought to divide public opinion, provoke social unrest, and spread disinformation. Despite foreign involvement, individual accountability remains paramount.

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Ukrinform — 2025-11-02

French Court Convicts Four Bulgarians for Holocaust Memorial Vandalism

Sentencing Details

Russian-Linked Vandalism Operation

Context and Court Findings

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