mysterious tags written on cars in Lyon and Villeurbanne, around ten complaints filed

As in several other French cities, mysterious tags “Ukraine needs your car” were spray painted on cars in Lyon and Villeurbanne. Messages tagged in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag, always with the same typography, which appealed to many residents. Contacted, the police services of the Interdepartmental Directorate of the Rhône National Police (DIPN 69) indicated to the Figaro, “that several tags were observed in the Lyon district” and that“around ten complaints were filed”. An investigation was opened to find the perpetrators and understand their motivations.

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The shadow of a pro-Russian action

The metropolis of Lyon is not the first city to see these messages appear. Since October, the towns of Saint-Ouen, Meudon, Forbach and even Montpellier have seen exactly similar inscriptions tagged on several vehicles. In Meudon, around fifty vehicles had been tagged, in Montpellier 47 on the night of October 22 to 23.

On X, Kogutyak Volodymyr, vice-president of the Union of Ukrainians of France, points to “manipulations of active Russian agents” at the origin of these «inscriptions pseudo pro-Ukraine». For the moment, no motive has been established concerning these tags which have appeared everywhere in France. According to TF1, three Serbian nationals, who recently arrived in France, were arrested in Meudon at the beginning of October. An investigation for “degradations in meetings” was opened by the Lyon public prosecutor's office.

The case is reminiscent of that of the mysterious blue Stars of David tagged on walls in Paris and the suburbs in November 2023. Inscriptions sponsored by the Russian security services, the DGSI revealed at the time.