Two Moldovans were arrested in Paris on suspicion of having red spray-painted six coffins along with text about Ukraine on the front of the building of the French daily “Figaro”, said a judicial source quoted by France Press and BTA.
The two are accused of participating in "activities to demoralize the army with the aim of undermining national defense in peacetime,", the source specified. Initially, the investigation was opened for damage and criminal association.
The suspects are in pre-trial detention.
The two men with Moldovan passports were arrested on the night of Thursday to Friday. They are suspected of having made the six drawings with stencils and red paint, accompanied by the words “Stop death, Mriya (dream in Ukrainian, but also the name of a plane) Ukraine”.
Six identical images were discovered on Thursday morning on the facade of Agence France-Presse in Paris, which is located not far from the editorial office of “Figaro”.
The two Moldovans claim that they were paid about one hundred euros to make the drawings.
A separate investigation into vandalism and criminal conspiracy is also under way after stencilled drawings and black paint were found on facades in three Paris districts on Tuesday. They depicted the “Mirage“ in the form of coffins, and the text to them was “Mirages for Ukraine“.