Greenpeace activists staged a dramatic protest in Paris on Monday by stealing a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron from the Musée Grévin and placing it outside the Russian

Embassy. The move was part of a demonstration urging France to halt imports of Russian gas and fertilizer.

Disguised as tourists, two women and a man entered the museum and later changed into outfits resembling those of museum staff. They smuggled the €40,000 statue out through an emergency exit, concealing it with a blanket.

The figure was later installed in front of the Russian Embassy as part of what Greenpeace called an effort to expose Macron’s “double game” on Ukraine. The group accuses the French president of publicly supporting Ukraine while allowing French companies to maintain business ties with Russia.

“France is playing a double game,” said Jean-François Julliard, head of Greenpeace France. “Macron embodies this contradiction—offering support to Ukraine while enabling ongoing trade with Russia.”

Greenpeace said Macron was targeted specifically because of his influential role in Europe. “He should be the first among EU leaders to sever these trade ties,” Julliard added.

While France has been among Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia's invasion in February 2022, critics say its continued imports from Russia undermine its political stance. Macron has been at the forefront of shaping Europe’s response to the war, especially after former U.S. President Donald Trump pursued direct negotiations with Moscow. Photo by Fred Romero from Paris, France, Wikimedia commons.