Ukraine Arrests French National on Arms Smuggling/Terror Charges

On June 6th, 2016, following leaks by international media, Ukrainian authorities released information about 25-year-old Gregoire Moutaux, a French National held by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) since early May. SBU claims that Moutaux was driven by “ultra-nationalist views” and was plotting “15 terrorist attacks” in France during the European Soccer Championships this summer; Moutaux’s targets included a Muslim mosque, a Jewish synagogue, and other pieces of infrastructure in protest of his government’s policies on migration and the spread of Islam.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was allegedly carrying five rifles, two rocket propelled grenades, and other weapons, which Ukrainian special forces had allowed him to purchase since they began to follow him in early December; Ukrainian authorities began to follow Moutaux when he began to “establish contacts with a number of representatives in the (pro-Russian separatist) east.”

One French police source claimed that a shirt with the insignia of a “far-right group” was found at Moutaux’s home in Loraine; the source did not give any further details. French police also found several chemicals that could be used to make explosives in the 25-year-old’s house.

SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak claimed that Moutaux was trying to obtain arms from unidentified groups in eastern Ukraine. Moutaux also allegedly offered many of his contacts several million Euros in order to have a Ukrainian citizen help him smuggle the arms through Europe, leading Hrytsak to conclude that “the Russian security services may have set him up”.

Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have been fighting Ukrainian forces since April 2014, when large-scale street protests ousted Russian-backed President Vyktor Yanukovych, after Yanukovych refused to sign an EU trade deal under pressure from Moscow. Russia, which is attempting to re-assert itself as a world superpower, has found Ukraine gradually slipping from its sphere of influence. Russia may benefit from a propaganda campaign to associate Ukraine with right-wing extremists, so as to paint their western neighbor negatively in the eyes of the European Union. Ukraine is currently a preferred trade partner of the EU and is seeking to establish closer relations with the union.

But given Ukraine’s plans to move closer to the European Union, the Ukranian government would have interest in publicizing the incident as an alleged terrorist attack, in order to paint Ukraine as an ally in the EU’s fight against terror; this would make EU citizens more likely to favor closer relations with Ukraine.

Given the lack of concrete details at this time, one can only hypothesize as to what Moutaux’s intentions were. Despite this, the conspiracy is not being investigated by France’s anti-terrorism unit but by the organized crime division, suggesting French police may be treating the case as one of international arms dealing.