Seven Georgians Face Paris Trial Over €650,000 Russian Book Thefts

Q: With 170 rare books stolen, who is the mastermind behind Europe's biggest literary heist?

No mastermind has been publicly identified. French and European investigators say the theft of about 170 rare Russian books across France, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and other countries appears to have been carried out by an organized criminal network, not a single named ringleader. The Paris trial centers on seven Georgian nationals accused of stealing or helping steal valuable 19th-century Russian literary works, including Pushkin and Gogol, from major French libraries. Prosecutors describe a coordinated method: suspects studied and photographed the originals, then returned to swap them with highly convincing copies that were difficult to detect. Two of the most prominent defendants are Mikheil Z., who has admitted stealing books from the National Library of France but says he acted alone out of greed, and Beqa T., who has already been convicted in Estonia in a related case. But neither man has been presented publicly as the overall architect of the wider European operation. Investigators instead point to a broader transnational scheme, serious enough for Europol and Eurojust to set up a joint investigation team that led to arrests in 2024. Judges have also examined whether the motive went beyond profit, possibly involving the return of Russian cultural heritage to Russia amid strained relations with Europe. So, based on the evidence made public so far, Europe’s biggest literary heist has suspected participants, but no confirmed mastermind.

3 articles · Updated · FRANCE 24 English · Jun 9

Seven Georgian nationals go on trial in Paris on Tuesday over thefts of rare Russian classics from French libraries, with charges carrying up to 10 years in prison; two defendants are being tried in absentia.
Investigators say the group was part of a Europe-wide organised network that consulted valuable books, photographed and measured them, then returned to swap them with near-undetectable copies.
At France's National Library, prosecutors say Mikheil Z. made 40 visits in 2023 before nine works—mainly by Pushkin—were found replaced, causing an estimated €650,000 loss.
The case ties into similar thefts in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Lithuania, prompting a Europol-Eurojust investigation that led to arrests in 2024.
None of the stolen books has been recovered, and judges are examining whether the motive was profit alone or also the repatriation of Russian cultural heritage amid strained Moscow-Europe ties.