Russian-linked network implicated in spraying over 500 Star of David graffiti in Paris to provoke antisemitic tensions.

Societal & Cultural PressureVandalism / Symbolic AttacksGraffiti & symbolic disruption

Aggressor

Summary

In late October 2023, over 250 David Star graffiti appeared on walls in Paris. A second wave of 250 graffiti were sprayed days later in multiple Paris districts and suburbs. Police arrested individuals from Moldova shortly after the first incident and uncovered that these acts were orchestrated by a Russian-linked network. Surveillance footage showed coordinated activity with a photographer accompanying two spray teams. Investigations connected these actions to a 50-year-old Russian-speaking man, Anatoli Prizenko, who claimed the graffiti were acts of solidarity with Jews, despite blue stars mimicking the Israeli flag. French agency Viginum identified that 1095 fake social media accounts created on the day of the event spread photos of the graffiti promoting the pro-Kremlin propaganda platform "RRN" (Reliable and Recent News). Companies behind RRN have Kremlin ties, with its chief's connections to the Russian Duma. Prizenko also has links to Russia, including involvement in financial fraud and lobbying for Moldovan-Russian economic ties.

Classification

Confidence: High

The graffiti campaign was a coordinated psychological and propaganda operation involving a network with Kremlin ties to destabilize social cohesion and fuel antisemitic tensions in France; use of fake social media accounts and orchestration indicates hybrid warfare.

Source URL

https://juedische-allgemeine.de/politik/russisches-netzwerk-soll-hinter-davidstern-graffitis-stecken

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: extension
Submitted: Jul 6, 2026, 13:57 UTC
Last updated: Nov 8, 2026, 18:15 UTC
Event time: Oct 26, 2023, 22:00 UTC

Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "adeb1359-f9ce-4935-b25e-b2ce13fb4785",
  "url": "https://juedische-allgemeine.de/politik/russisches-netzwerk-soll-hinter-davidstern-graffitis-stecken",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Societal & Cultural Pressure",
  "subcategory": "Vandalism / Symbolic Attacks",
  "incident_type": "Graffiti & symbolic disruption",
  "country": "France",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Russia",
    "France",
    "Antisemitism",
    "Propaganda",
    "Vandalism",
    "Hybrid Warfare",
    "Disinformation",
    "Covert Influence"
  ],
  "nodes": [],
  "countries": [
    "France"
  ],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "In late October 2023, over 250 David Star graffiti appeared on walls in Paris. A second wave of 250 graffiti were sprayed days later in multiple Paris districts and suburbs. Police arrested individuals from Moldova shortly after the first incident and uncovered that these acts were orchestrated by a Russian-linked network. Surveillance footage showed coordinated activity with a photographer accompanying two spray teams. Investigations connected these actions to a 50-year-old Russian-speaking man, Anatoli Prizenko, who claimed the graffiti were acts of solidarity with Jews, despite blue stars mimicking the Israeli flag. French agency Viginum identified that 1095 fake social media accounts created on the day of the event spread photos of the graffiti promoting the pro-Kremlin propaganda platform \"RRN\" (Reliable and Recent News). Companies behind RRN have Kremlin ties, with its chief's connections to the Russian Duma. Prizenko also has links to Russia, including involvement in financial fraud and lobbying for Moldovan-Russian economic ties.",
  "summary_short": "Russian-linked network implicated in spraying over 500 Star of David graffiti in Paris to provoke antisemitic tensions.",
  "summary_extended": null,
  "actor_primary": "Russian-linked network",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Paris",
  "location_region": "Île-de-France",
  "location_coordinates_lat": 48.8566,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 2.3522,
  "location_precision": "Approximate",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The graffiti campaign was a coordinated psychological and propaganda operation involving a network with Kremlin ties to destabilize social cohesion and fuel antisemitic tensions in France; use of fake social media accounts and orchestration indicates hybrid warfare.",
  "event_time_utc": "2023-10-26T22:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": "2023-10-27T04:00:00.000Z",
  "event_time_confidence": "pm6h",
  "created_at": "2026-07-06T13:57:00.576Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T18:15:59.952Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "approximate",
  "time_precision_band": "within_6h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: Within 6 hoursLocation: Approximate

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Oct 26, 2023, 22:00 UTC

End time

Oct 27, 2023, 04:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm6h

Location

Paris

Region

Île-de-France

Primary actor

Russian-linked network

Country

France

Countries

France

Tags

Russia, France, Antisemitism, Propaganda, Vandalism, Hybrid Warfare, Disinformation, Covert Influence

Loading signal...

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