Macron waxwork stolen from French museum by activists

A waxwork figure of French President Emmanuel Macron has been stolen from a museum in Paris by environmental activists who disguised themselves as employees.

Greenpeace activists entered the Grevin Museum posing as tourists before changing their clothes, covering the statue with a blanket and taking it out through an emergency exit, a police source told French news agency AFP.

The waxwork later reappeared outside the Russian embassy, where activists denounced Macron's attitude towards French companies that continue to do business with Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Macron has been one of Kyiv's most vocal supporters and has been a leading figure in European efforts to secure a ceasefire.

Footage showed activists placing the waxwork in front of the embassy alongside signs and placards.

No arrests have been made and the waxwork, worth a reported €40,000 (£33,765; $45,674), has not yet been recovered.

Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France, told AFP that Paris was "playing a double game" in supporting Ukraine while allowing French companies to continue with gas and fertiliser imports from Russia.

He said Macron "embodies this double discourse" and "should be the first" among European leaders to end trade contracts with Russian companies.

Analysis by the BBC in May showed Russia has continued to make billions from fossil fuel exports to the West, including to the EU.

Russia had made more than €883bn (£740bn; $973bn) in revenue from fossil fuel exports since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including €228bn from countries that have sanctioned it, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The lion's share, €209bn (£176bn; $238bn), came from EU member states - of that figure, €17.9bn (£15.1bn; $20.4bn) came from France.

Russian estimates say gas exports to Europe rose by up to 20% in 2024, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports reaching record levels. Currently, half of Russia's LNG exports go the EU, CREA says.

As well as offering military aid to Kyiv, France has also imposed a number of sanctions on Russia and Russian individuals since the war in Ukraine began.

Macron has also warned of further sanctions on Moscow if it does not co-operate in efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.