November 26, 2025
by Ian Allen
FRENCH AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED three individuals and placed a fourth person under supervision after scrutinizing the operations of a humanitarian organization suspected of being a front for Russian intelligence. The arrests were announced on Tuesday by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), France’s domestic security agency.
The organization in question was registered at the Pyrénées-Atlantiques prefecture of southwestern France in 2022 under the name “Sud Ouest Solidarité Donbass” (“Solidarity for South-West Donbass). This was abbreviated in the organization’s marketing material as “SOS Donbass”. Its expressed mission is to raise funds in support of civilians in Ukraine’s war-torn region of Donbass, most of which is currently under Russian military control.
The DGSI said it began monitoring the activities of SOS Donbass in early 2025. It claims that members of the organization used the cover of humanitarian work in order to spread Russian propaganda in France on the orders of Moscow. It also claims that they attempted to collect “economic information” from executives of French firms. At least one member of the group participated in a concerted campaign of putting up posters in downtown Paris, bearing the slogan “Russia is not my enemy” (pictured), according to the DGSI.
The director of SOS Donbass, identified in French media reports as “Anna N.”, 40, who was born in Russia but lives in France, was arrested by DGSI on November 17. Another Russian-born member of SOS Donbass, “Vyacheslav B.”, also 40, was arrested on the same day. A third individual, “Vensan B.”, 63, who is French-born and lives in Paris’ northern Seine-Saint-Denis suburb, was arrested the following day. A fourth individual, identified as “Bernard F.”, 58, has been placed under strict supervision and is required to report to the police weekly.
According to France’s Le Parisien newspaper, Anna N. and Vyacheslav B. have been formally charged with “colluding with a foreign power”, “conducting activities to gather information on the interests of the nation for a foreign power” and “actions likely to harm the fundamental interests of the nation”, which carry sentences of up to 10 years.
► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 26 November 2025 | Permalink
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France arrests members of humanitarian charity accused of being a Russian front
November 26, 2025 by Ian Allen 5 Comments
The organization in question was registered at the Pyrénées-Atlantiques prefecture of southwestern France in 2022 under the name “Sud Ouest Solidarité Donbass” (“Solidarity for South-West Donbass). This was abbreviated in the organization’s marketing material as “SOS Donbass”. Its expressed mission is to raise funds in support of civilians in Ukraine’s war-torn region of Donbass, most of which is currently under Russian military control.
The DGSI said it began monitoring the activities of SOS Donbass in early 2025. It claims that members of the organization used the cover of humanitarian work in order to spread Russian propaganda in France on the orders of Moscow. It also claims that they attempted to collect “economic information” from executives of French firms. At least one member of the group participated in a concerted campaign of putting up posters in downtown Paris, bearing the slogan “Russia is not my enemy” (pictured), according to the DGSI.
The director of SOS Donbass, identified in French media reports as “Anna N.”, 40, who was born in Russia but lives in France, was arrested by DGSI on November 17. Another Russian-born member of SOS Donbass, “Vyacheslav B.”, also 40, was arrested on the same day. A third individual, “Vensan B.”, 63, who is French-born and lives in Paris’ northern Seine-Saint-Denis suburb, was arrested the following day. A fourth individual, identified as “Bernard F.”, 58, has been placed under strict supervision and is required to report to the police weekly.
According to France’s Le Parisien newspaper, Anna N. and Vyacheslav B. have been formally charged with “colluding with a foreign power”, “conducting activities to gather information on the interests of the nation for a foreign power” and “actions likely to harm the fundamental interests of the nation”, which carry sentences of up to 10 years.
► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 26 November 2025 | Permalink
Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with espionage, France, human intelligence, News, psyops, Russia, SOS Donbass