In a case that underscores the evolving nature of modern hybrid warfare, three Bulgarian men were sentenced to two to four years in prison for their involvement in a Kremlin-linked campaign to destabilize France. The trial, held in a Paris courtroom, revealed a stark contrast between the sophistication of hybrid warfare and the mundane reality of its execution. Georgi Filipov, Nikolay Ivanov, and Kiril Milushev admitted to vandalizing the Wall of the Righteous, a Holocaust memorial, with red handprints in May 2024. Despite their admissions, they denied working for a foreign power or harboring antisemitic motives. The trio’s actions were part of a broader series of symbolic attacks in France, including pigs’ heads left outside mosques and coffins placed near the Eiffel Tower. These incidents were amplified by Russian social media trolls, aiming to sow discord and question the stability of French society. France, with its political divisions and historical ties to Moscow, has become a prime target for such operations. The defendants, described as low-level operatives, were allegedly recruited through discreet channels, highlighting a shift from high-cost espionage to cost-effective, deniable proxies. Filipov, who claimed ignorance of the operation’s significance, was paid €1,000 for his role. Milushev cited personal struggles, while Ivanov, considered the mastermind, received the harshest sentence. The case raises questions about the Kremlin’s role in exploiting societal fractures to undermine Western democracies.