Authorities arrest four people under suspicion of spying for Russia in France

Reuters stated this in an article, citing the Paris prosecutor's office, Ukrinform reports.

According to the report, the prosecutor's office identified one of the individuals as Anna N, a dual French-Russian national who has been under the surveillance of France's DGSI domestic intelligence agency since January on the belief she was gathering intelligence.

"In particular, she was suspected of having approached executives of various French companies in order to obtain information relating to French economic interests," the prosecutor said in a statement.

The others were identified as Vincent P and Bernard F, who were born in France and Vyacheslav P, a Russian national.

According to the prosecutor's office, Anna N founded SOS Donbass, a France-based association which says on its website that it campaigns for closer ties between Europe and Russia, and the end of arms deliveries to Ukraine. It often displays campaign posters in public places.

Anna faces up to 45 years in jail and EUR 600,000 ($694,500.00) in fines for charges ranging from complicity to damage historic heritage sites, organised crime, spying and intelligence for a foreign power. The others also face jail terms and fines on similar charges.

The prosecution did not name the country for which the four are suspected of spying. However, according to media reports, it is Russia.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in Latvia a suspect was detained for illegally collecting information about the country's defense sector on behalf of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

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