The figure of French President Emmanuel Macron’s waxwork was stolen from a museum in Paris by environmental activists who disguised themselves as employees.
Greenpeace activists entered the Grevin Museum, pretending to be tourists before changing clothes, covered the statue with a blanket and retrieved it via an emergency exit, police sources told French news agency AFP.
The waxwork later reappeared outside the Russian Embassy. There, activists condemned Macron’s attitude towards French companies that have been in business with Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Macron was one of Kiev’s most vocal supporters and was a key figure in Europe’s efforts to secure a ceasefire.
The footage showed activists placing waxwork in front of the embassy along with signs and placards.
No arrests have been made, and the reported waxwork worth 40,000 euros (£33,765, $45,674) has not yet been recovered.
Greenpeace France head Jean François Juilliard told AFP that Paris is “playing a double game” to support Ukraine, while allowing French companies to continue importing gas and fertilizer from Russia.
He said Macron “concretes this double discourse” and “concretes the “first discourse” among European leaders.”
A BBC analysis in May shows that Russia continues to make billions of dollars from exporting fossil fuels to the West, including the EU.
Russia has earned more than 8830 billion euros (740 million pounds, $973 million) from revenues from fossil fuel exports since the start of Ukraine’s full-scale invasion in 2022, according to the Research Center on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
The Lion’s share, 29 billion euros (£17.6 billion, $23.8 billion), came from EU countries that figure.
Russia estimates show that gas exports to Europe increased by up to 20% in 2024, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports reaching record levels. Currently, half of Russia’s LNG exports go to the EU, says Crea.
In addition to providing military aid to Kiev, France has also imposed numerous sanctions on Russian and Russian individuals since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Macron also warns of further sanctions against Moscow if they do not cooperate in efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
