The works of one of the greatest Russian writers - if not the greatest - have for some time been the subject of a very particular desire for appropriation, writes Le Journal du Dimanche.

According to the existing information, three Georgian nationals - including two women - were arrested, discreetly, this Monday, November 20, then placed in police custody in the premises of the Central Office for Combating Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCBC) in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) as part of a preliminary investigation into the counts of “theft committed by an organized gang “and” criminal association”. Information confirmed by the Paris prosecutor"s office at JDD.

The three suspects, aged 24, 26 and 44, are suspected of belonging to a network specializing in the theft of original works by the 19th century Russian poet, writer and playwright, Alexander Pushkin. They could be referred this Friday, November 24 for indictment by a Parisian investigating judge.