In Paris, they are investigating the Russian link in the attack on the Holocaust Memorial

In Paris, on October 29, 2025, a high-profile trial began in the case of the “red palms” on the Holocaust Memorial. Three Bulgarians admitted to receiving money for the action at the Wall of the Righteous, and France is openly considering the Russian trace as part of a hybrid campaign to destabilize Europe.

At stake is not only a criminal case.
This is a test for Europe: who controls fear and memory — democracies or Moscow?

In Paris — a trial. And it’s more than a trial

Paris loves drama but rarely allows it near its sacred places.
And the Holocaust Memorial is one of them. The air here is different. It remembers.

And it was here, on the night of May 13-14, 2024, that 35 red palms appeared — as if someone tried to leave a “bloody signature” on the memory of those who saved Jews during the Shoah.

On the night of May 14, 2024, unknown individuals painted 35 red “bloody palms” on the monument, where the names of the French who saved Jews during World War II are engraved. The prosecution qualified the act as damage to the monument motivated by racial or religious hatred.

The investigation considers the action part of a Russian campaign to destabilize France, organized by the Fifth Service of the FSB.

Initially, the “graffiti” was considered in the context of the war in the Gaza Strip, which led to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents and tensions across Europe.

A year and a half later, on October 29, 2025, the trial began in the city, which has already been called an exam for French democracy.

Who is on the bench — and for what

Before the court are three Bulgarian citizens, with a fourth being sought.

The suspects are charged with criminal conspiracy or aggravated damage to property based on racial, ethnic, or religious grounds. If convicted, they could face several years of imprisonment.

French investigators link the case to other incidents: Stars of David on houses in Paris (November 2023), coffins of “French soldiers in Ukraine” at the Eiffel Tower (June 2024), and pig heads at mosques (September 2025). All actions were actively promoted online by accounts linked to Russia.

Among the plaintiffs are the Paris Holocaust Memorial and the League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism.

Their roles are as if from a textbook on proxy operations:

At the hearings, one of the defendants simply said: “Yes, I did it, I was paid.”
Very European modesty. Very Russian dirtiness.

“This is not a lone wolf. This is a scheme”

French intelligence services immediately noticed the familiar dramaturgy:
arrived → applied symbols → filmed → flew away → the image spread across networks.

What the military calls operational tempo, and intelligence — signature of interference.

And we are not talking about guesses.

“The case fits into a series of nine episodes of alleged interference” — writes Le Monde.

“French intelligence sees a connection with Russia’s campaign to destabilize Europe” — notes Associated Press.

“The court is considering possible involvement of Russian structures” — confirms France 24.

And yes — all this is officially announced by prosecutors.

What is Moscow doing here?

If you ask in Paris, Kyiv, or Tel Aviv — the answer is the same:
Moscow has long moved from war to theater of war.

It not only shoots. It directs emotions.
It frightens with camps, paints streets with symbols, finds people who “just do and leave.”

Red palms are not paint. They are a signal of alarm:
fear can be bought, chaos can be hired, and history is a battlefield.

Why this is important to Israel and Ukraine

For Israel — it’s a blow to memory and to the Jews of Europe.
It reminds how dangerous it is when someone decides to rewrite the past — and ignite the future.

For Ukraine — a recognizable hand:
disinformation, mercenaries, covert operations, “we have nothing to do with it.”

Both countries know the price of memory.
And both see that the Kremlin is trying to infect the West with the same logic of fear that it feeds its own population.

What this trial is really about

❌ Not about vandalism.
❌ Not about three Bulgarians.
❌ Not about red paint.

✅ About whether Russia can export chaos with impunity.
✅ About whether Europe will protect its sanctities — and its nervous system.
✅ About whether the memory of the Holocaust will remain inviolable.

If France proves the connection and convicts — it will set a precedent.
If not — there will be more red palms. And not only in Paris.

Conclusion

The scariest thing in this story is not that people came for 1,000 euros.
The scariest thing is that in the 21st century, this is already familiar.

But Paris is not one to surrender memory under pressure.
And if this city has succeeded in anything for centuries, it is — remaining itself, even when someone tries to rewrite it.

Reference: Holocaust Memorial in Paris (Mémorial de la Shoah)

Official name:
Mémorial de la Shoah – Mémorial de la Shoah de Paris

Location:
📍 17 Rue Geoffroy-l’Asnier, 75004 Paris, France
➡️ Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zCFWUrNrBobVK8Bf8

District: Le Marais, historical center of Paris, near the Seine and Île Saint-Louis

History and key dates

What is Mur des Justes (Wall of the Righteous)

French name: Mur des Justes parmi les Nations
(literally — “Wall of the Righteous Among the Nations”)

Number of names: ~4,000 names
These are people who saved Jews in France during World War II — sheltered, transported, forged documents, hid children.

These names are associated with the recognition of the title
Justes parmi les Nations (Righteous Among the Nations)
by the Israeli Holocaust memorial institute Yad Vashem.

🕯 What’s inside the memorial

• Wall of the Righteous (Mur des Justes)

• Book of Names of Deported Jews of France

• Eternal Flame

• Archive (1+ million documents)

• Exhibitions about the Shoah (Catastrophe of European Jewry)

• Research center and library

Why the memorial is important

This is the main French center of Holocaust memory.
It is dedicated to more than 76,000 Jews deported from France during the Nazi occupation, including 11,400 children.