Three arrested in Paris suspected of spying and acting for Russia

One of those detained was seen on video surveillance footage in September putting up pro-Russian posters on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

French authorities have arrested three people on suspicion of spying for Russia and acting to promote its war propaganda, as part of a probe into a French-Russian association, prosecutors said Tuesday.

French police stand in front of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, which was ravaged by a fire in 2019, before ceremonies for its reopening, in Paris, France, December 3, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq (REUTERS)

One of those detained, a 40-year-old Russian man, was seen on video surveillance footage in September putting up pro-Russian posters on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the city's prosecutors' office said.

The man then reported to the head of the association, SOS Donbass, a woman also aged 40, who was suspected by French counter-espionage officials of trying to get economic information from French company executives.