Moldovan man behind Paris coffin graffiti arrested

Romanian authorities last week detained Moldovan citizen Iurie Manic at the Moldova–Romania border. He is accused by French prosecutors of being one of the leaders of a series of vandalism actions in Paris directed by Russia. The case was first reported by Ziarul de Iaşi.

The Iași Court of Appeal on Saturday, September 19, ordered a 15-day provisional arrest of Manic so that he could be extradited to France. The man was sought under a European arrest warrant issued on October 16, 2025; the French SIRENE office entered it into the Schengen Information System four days later, and Romanian border police identified him on that basis when he attempted to enter Romania through a border crossing in Vaslui County. He is currently being held at the detention facility of the Vaslui County Police Inspectorate. In France he is charged with vandalism committed as part of a group and with undermining the morale of the armed forces, which the prosecution says he committed with the intent to harm national defense. Under the French criminal code, these offenses carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The case dates back to the summer of 2024, when empty coffins stenciled in red paint began appearing on buildings in Paris, accompanied by slogans such as "Stop the death now!", "Mriya Ukraine" ("Dream Ukraine") or "Soldat français en Ukraine" ("French soldier in Ukraine"). On June 20, 2024, police caught two Moldovan men in the act as they painted six coffins on the wall of the Le Figaro newspaper's headquarters. During questioning, they said they were paid a hundred euros a day for the work. That same month, five coffins draped in French flags were placed at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with the inscription "French soldiers of Ukraine." According to French authorities, the actions were intended to intimidate public opinion and undermine France's support for Ukraine—President Emmanuel Macron had not ruled out at the time sending French troops to Ukraine. French intelligence services and prosecutors say another organizer of the operations, Alexandr Grigorenco, who is also wanted, is an enthusiastic supporter of Moldova's pro-Russian Șor Party. The party's leader, oligarch Ilan Șor, sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for bank fraud, has fled to Moscow. Investigators say the vandalism was part of a hybrid warfare strategy carried out through intermediaries, aimed at manipulating public opinion and heightening political tensions in France over support for Ukraine.

The trial began in Paris in February 2026. Prosecutors sought prison sentences ranging from 18 months to three years for the defendants, but on April 16 the court convicted the seven Moldovan citizens only of vandalism, imposing fines ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 euros. The court did not find sufficient evidence to support the charge of undermining the army's morale. Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi at the time sharply condemned Russia's hybrid tactics in France, which involve recruiting Moldovan citizens for vandalism and incitement to hatred.

The case is part of a longer series of incidents. In October 2023, blue Stars of David appeared on buildings in Paris; according to the French domestic intelligence service, the DGSI, the action was organized by a pro-Russian Moldovan businessman. In May 2024, about five hundred red handprints were painted on the walls and surroundings of the Paris Holocaust Memorial; four Bulgarian men were sentenced to two to four years in prison for this, with the court ruling that the action was part of a "coordinated operation carried out with hostile intent." French authorities are also investigating the placement of pig heads outside mosques. According to the DGSI, these actions bear the hallmarks of Russian hybrid influence operations: on-the-ground provocations accompanied by online amplification, aimed at deepening divisions within French society.

Ugar