Overview
- The Paris trial opened with three defendants in custody after extraditions from Bulgaria and Croatia, while a fourth suspect remains at large.
- Police documents cited in court say the group received instructions in Russian via Telegram, with one defendant accused of financing logistics for the others.
- Testimony described trips to Germany and Switzerland after the Paris raid, as the prosecutor noted a Munich grave was tagged around the same time, a link the defense rejected.
- A judge referenced foreign intelligence portraying Nikolay Ivanov as a likely hiring party for proxies, which he denied while acknowledging he paid for travel later reimbursed.
- Defendant Georgi Filipov admitted transporting coffins later left near the Eiffel Tower and voiced regret for the museum defacement, as Viginum reported Russia-linked online amplification of the red-hand images.