France detains four amid inquiry into suspected Russian spy network

A fourth suspect has been placed under strict police supervision, according to French prosecutors, while three others have been detained on suspicion of spying for Russia and promoting its wartime propaganda.

A 40-year-old Russian woman who is the head of the French-Russian SOS Donbass group, according to the prosecution’s statement on Wednesday, is among the suspects who are being held in detention. They also include a 63-year-old man from a northern suburb of Paris, a 40-year-old Russian man who was filmed putting up pro-Moscow posters on the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and a 40-year-old Russian

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A fourth suspect, 58, was spared pre-trial detention but given strict supervision and a weekly report from the police.

The General Directorate for Internal Security, known by its French-language acronym DGSI, reported that the woman in charge of SOS Donbass, which presents itself as a humanitarian organization helping civilians in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass, had been keeping tabs on by France’s domestic intelligence service since early this year.

The DGSI opened a judicial inquiry into suspected crimes committed by the woman, including “collusion with a foreign power,” after it found “actions likely to harm the fundamental interests of the nation.” The charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

French officials say the woman allegedly tried to elicit economic data from executives of French companies.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on, countries are pointing the finger at Moscow’s spy services as sabotage attacks increase.

Under the 2023 National Security Act, police in the United Kingdom detained three men in their 40s last month, and charged them with aiding Russia’s foreign intelligence service.

In a different case, two young Wagner Group mercenary forces’ ringleaders received protracted sentences for allegedly planning arson attacks in London for the Russian state-funded mercenary force.

Three Bulgarian nationals were found guilty in London in March of belonging to a Russian spy unit that conducted Russian-led surveillance of US military personnel and of people who were being targeted by Moscow.

Last week, UK Defence Secretary John Healey claimed that the crew of the Russian spy ship Yantar had fired lasers at the British surveillance aircraft’s pilots while it was being observed in waters off Scotland.

Healey criticized the action as “reckless and dangerous” and promised to defend against any territorial incursions.

Should the Yantar change their minds, he said, “We have military options ready.”

The Kremlin has refuted all claims, accusing London of blaming Russia whenever “bad” things occur in the UK.

Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland’s Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) has also reported that the nation has become a hotspot for espionage. According to the FIS, at least a third of Russia’s 220 authorized officials were spies in 2023.

Russian naval movements near UK waters increased by 30% in the last two years, according to the UK Ministry of Defence, which announced on Sunday that a British patrol vessel intercepted a Russian corvette and tanker in the English Channel.

Following suspected Russian airspace incursions and drone sightings in a number of member states, including Poland, where authorities last month detained eight people on suspicion of espionage and sabotage on behalf of Russia, NATO has increased its air patrols along Ukraine’s border.